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Europe is grappling with a new health crisis: farmed minks have captured COVID-19 and passed it on to humans, causing fear of a new cycle of coronavirus mutations. Denmark has decided to cull 17 million mink.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said these mutations “are not yet fully understood”. As of November 6, 214 cases of COVID-19 involving transmission from mink to humans have been identified in Denmark. The first cases occurred in June. Of these 214 cases, 12 are a “new strain” of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.
The Netherlands was the first European country hit and killed 1 million minks in July. On Thursday, a Dutch study published in the journal Science estimated that 68% of mink farm workers in that country had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, which means extremely high transmission of the virus.
But the cases of COVID-19 in the Netherlands have not led to the emergence of a new strain of SARS-CoV-2, according to James Liao, a geneticist at the University of Taiwan who just published in the journal PNAS a review of all strains of the virus. “Human cases in the Netherlands are all the most prevalent strains in the world,” explained Dr.r Liao a print.
Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United States have also reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from mink to humans.
Canada is not interested for the moment. “We’re lucky, our farms are very far apart,” says Alan Herscovici, editor of the Canadian Mink Breeders Association’s All About Fur website. “So there is less transmission from farm to farm. And we are used to beware of respiratory viruses, mink for example can contract human flu. ”
How do Canadian farmers cope? “We have banned working on more than one mink farm,” says Herscovici. There are also disinfection protocols when moving from one building to another in the same company. And we wear masks and visors. Some farms have started using non-contact thermometers to measure employee temperatures. ”
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY THE CANADIAN MINK FARMERS ASSOCIATION
A mink on a Canadian farm
Is it possible to detect a possible outbreak in the Canadian mink? “We observe the mink’s breath very closely and must report any suspected cases to the chief veterinarian of each province. ”
Ontario and Maritimes
The mink industry in Canada is mainly present in Ontario, with a significant presence in the Maritimes as well. Ontario has two mink leather auction houses and 85% of fur clothing production is concentrated in Montreal.
Quebec is home to only “two or three” mink farms, according to Herscovici. Where are they ? “We prefer not to say it, because there is a lot of activity on the part of animal rights defenders. If there was a farm invasion right now, with the risk of COVID-19 transmission, it would be catastrophic. However, he does specify that one of the farms is in Beauce.
35 million
Number of minks killed for their fur each year worldwide, including 14 million in Denmark, 2.7 million in the United States and 1 million in Canada
Sources: All About Fur, Truth About Fur
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