Dutch gov't: second case of mink transmitting coronavirus to human

25 May 2020, 10:26

AMSTERDAM, May 25 (Reuters) - The Dutch agriculture ministry on Monday said it had found what it believes to be a second case of a human becoming infected with the new coronavirus after coming in contact with a mink that had the virus.

In a letter to parliament, minister Carola Schouten repeated that the country's National Institute for Health believes the risk of animal-to-human transmission of the virus outside the farms on which they are kept is "negligible."

On April 26 the Dutch government reported mink on a farm in the south of the country had been found to have the disease, prompting a wider investigation of such farms, where mink are bred for their fur. Last week the government reported its first suspected case of mink-to-human transmission. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Toby Chopra)