A recently published article in Medical Press reported on the hypothesis of a potential link of increased cases of mucormycosis to both COVID - 19, and Cow Dung. Mucormysis is a deadly fungal infection that while rare, has an approximately 54% death rate in those infected according to the CDC.

As of January 2022, SARS-Cov-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic has been shown to infect at least 29 non-human mammalian species based on observational and experimental studies across free-living, captive, farmed, and domesticated animals [CIT].

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) had a global intensification during 2021 with cases continuing to be found in new locations around the world. 

In April 2020, as processing facilities in Minnesota (MN) shut down due to COVID-19 outbreaks, producers struggled to find outlets for their animals ready for slaughter. The MN Pork Board estimates 450,000 hogs were euthanized in Minnesota and Iowa.

The Minnesota Department of Health has begun sequencing COVID-19 positive samples for the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is continuing to track global reports on Omicron cases and their spread.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that a suspect case of chronic wasting disease was found in a wild deer along the North Dakota border.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Minnesota is involved in two concurrent active multi-state foodborne Salmonella outbreaks.