Minks used to have gastrointestinal and respiratory problems and now there are fears that the infection could spread to other animals or to humans
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himIn two farms of minks the animals turned out positive for coronavirus, raising much concern.
The minks are raised in two structures in Noord-Brabant, a province in the south of the Netherlands, Beek en Donk and Milheeze, where a total of more than 20 mink are crammed.
The animals presented with gastrointestinal disturbances and breathing problems and were therefore subjected to swabs, the results of which were confirmed last Friday by researchers from the Wageningen bioveterinary research laboratory in Lelystad.
According to the Dutch National Institute for Health and the Environment (RIVM), it deals with the first case in which coronavirus infection has been diagnosed in farm animals in the Netherlands.
Time if you fear the spread of the virus to other animals or humans, although it seems very unlikely that minks could infect pets, other farm animals or humans.
However, the concern exists, and with some farm employees exhibiting symptoms attributable to covid-19 infection, Dutch Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten fears that the contagion between mink and man.
It is not clear whether men infected the minks or vice versa, but on the advice of the RIVM, walking or cycling around the two farms was banned as a precaution, for a radius of 400 meters.
There are still many things we don't know about new coronavirus and its ability to spread among different animal species.
What now seems clear is that the destruction of the environment and contact with wild animals can favor zoonoses, that is the diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans, and that we may face similar emergencies in the future to what we are experiencing now, if we do not start protecting ecosystems.
Coronavirus is the consequence of our impact on the planet: the WWF report
Surely this pandemic should therefore make us think about the way we exploit animals and nature and become an opportunity to review our relationship with the environment, making us understand once and for all that we of the environment are part and not masters.
Sources of reference: NOS / RIVM
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