Ireland will sacrifice all mink on its territory for fear of a coronavirus mutation



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The Irish government announced Thursday that it intends to sacrifice minks on farms across the country, fearing they may be carriers of a human-transmitted mutation in the new type of coronavirus. The mutation was first detected in Denmark in small mammals raised for their fur, AFP informs.

According to the Irish Ministry of Health, “the continued rearing of mink is a continuing risk of the appearance of further variants” of the virus, a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement, although no positive cases have been detected so far. these animals in Ireland. The health ministry recommends that “Irish agricultural mines be massacred to reduce or eliminate the risk,” the statement said.

According to Irish media, there are three mink breeders in Ireland, totaling 100,000 such mammals.

The Irish Ministry of Agriculture said it is in close contact with mink farmers “to look into the next steps,” according to Agerpres.

In early November, Denmark, the world’s largest exporter, ordered the removal of all of its minks – between 15 and 17 million heads – following the discovery of a mutation in the new type of coronavirus transmissible to the man. The move could, according to the country’s authorities, compromise the effectiveness of a future vaccine.

On Thursday, the Danish Ministry of Health estimated that this mutation of the virus “has most likely been eliminated”.

Publisher: AC

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