According to the Centers for Disease Control, a 36-year-old Taiwanese man is suspected to be the first mad-cow disease death in Taiwan. The individual had lived in the United Kingdom for eight years, before moving back to Taiwan in 1997. It wasn't until 2008 that he experienced symptoms of this life-threatening disease, and now, even the CDC is saying that it is very likely to be the cause of his death.

The Centers for Disease Control is attributing the death of a 36 year-old man in May to Taiwan's first case of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.

The man previously lived in England in an outbreak area for eight years, but medical examiners were not able to ascertain his cause of death because his family refused to allow an autopsy.

The man, who was born in 1974, attended school in England between 1989 and 1997.

He eventually moved back to Taiwan, and began exhibiting symptoms, including memory loss and narcolepsy, two years ago. Last March, he was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease at Taipei Hospital.

The CDC's investigation revealed that the man had donated blood after returning to Taiwan, and that two patients had received his blood.

The first had died of sepsis following a surgical procedure, while the second is in good health and was likely not infected.

According to the CDC, domestic and foreign research shows that human mad cow disease patients have an incubation period of 10 to 30 years.

Therefore, patients that lived in England after 1996 and are exhibiting symptoms should relate their travel history to doctors when seeking medical attention.

The CDC also says that public health and beef import policies will not be affected for the time being.

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