Denmark to cull millions of minks as mutated coronavirus spreads

By&nbspAFP Published on 05/11/2020 - 9:25 GMT+1 Denmark, the world's biggest producer of mink fur, said Wednesday it would cull all of the country's minks after a mutated

version of the new coronavirus was detected at mink farms and had spread to people. The mutation "could pose a risk that future (coronavirus) vaccines won't work the way they

should," Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told a press conference. "It is necessary to cull all the minks." Denmark's police chief Thorkild Fogde said they would start

the culling as "soon as possible," but conceded that with 15 million to 17 million minks spread over 1,080 farms it was "a very large undertaking". The World Health

Organization said the novel coronavirus spreads primarily through human-to-human transmission, but that "there is evidence of transmission at the human-animal interface". Several

animals -- including dogs and cats -- have tested positive for the virus and there have been reported cases at mink farms in the Netherlands and Spain, as well as in Denmark. "In a few

instances, the minks that were infected by humans have transmitted the virus to other people. These are the first reported cases of animal-to-human transmission," the WHO said in a

statement sent to AFP. The novel coronavirus has been detected at 207 Danish mink farms, including some cases with a mutated version that has been confirmed to spread back to humans. Health

authorities have also concluded that the mutated virus "is not inhibited by antibodies to the same degree as the normal virus". "Studies have shown that the mutations may

affect the current candidates for a Covid-19 vaccine," Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said. "It is a threat to the development of coronavirus vaccines. That is why it is important

that we make a national effort," he added. While the majority of cases had been observed in the northern part of the Jutland region, all minks in the country would still be culled. The

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is developing new technical guidance on animal health, including on testing and quarantine, the WHO said.