Dr. Scott Weese, a professor in the Department of Pathobiology, discussed the timing of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) release of information on suspected animal-to-human spillover with the National Geographic.
Weese said the actions are a reminder of the importance of transparency in reporting cases. He said providing information to the public earlier about a COVID-19 variant that had mutated in mink before spreading to humans, “could have helped other countries improve their pandemic surveillance and responses.”
The chief of infection control at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and director of the Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses (CPHAZ), Weese researches bacterial infections in animals and humans, emerging infectious diseases and infection control.