Over the summer, Dutch authorities announced that mink may have transmitted the novel coronavirus to a worker at a mink farm in the Netherlands. This was believed to be the first concrete evidence of a different species passing the novel coronavirus to a human. Since then, six countries have identified the novel coronavirus at mink farms and scientists believe hundreds of people have been infected by mink.

Culling of the mink has been recommended for public health considerations resulting in the tragic loss of many mink. This episode aims to understand the issues regarding infectious disease, how these precious creatures are cared for. and protected by veterinarians, and the urgent One Health zoonotic implications of the novel coronavirus transmission from mink to people. Dr. John Easly helps me sort out facts from fiction regarding the latest news on mink medicine.

EPISODE NOTES: Mink, Novel Coronavirus and Mink Medicine: A Conversation with a Mink Veterinarian Dr John Easley