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Denmark will eliminate its mink population of up to 17 million after a coronavirus mutation found in animals spreads to humans, the prime minister said on Wednesday.
Health authorities found strains of the virus in humans and mink that showed lower sensitivity against antibodies, which could reduce the effectiveness of future vaccines, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a news conference.
“We have a great responsibility towards our own population, but with the mutation that has now been found, we have an even greater responsibility towards the rest of the world,” he said.
“The virus mutated in mink may pose a risk to the effectiveness of a future vaccine,” Frederiksen said, adding that “it runs the risk of spreading from Denmark to other countries.”
The findings, which have been shared with the World Health Organization and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, were based on laboratory tests from the State Serum Institute, the Danish authority dealing with infectious diseases.
The head of the WHO emergency program, Mike Ryan, called on Friday for large-scale scientific investigations of the “complex, complex problem” of humans, outside of China, that infect mink, which in turn transmits the virus to humans.
Outbreaks on mink farms have persisted in the Nordic country, the world’s largest producer of mink fur, despite repeated efforts to euthanize infected animals since June.
The country’s police, army and local guard would be deployed to speed up the slaughter process, Frederiksen said.
Tighter lockdown restrictions will be put in place and tracking efforts to contain the virus will be intensified in some areas of northern Denmark, home to a large number of mink farms, authorities said.
“The worst case scenario is a new pandemic, starting again from Denmark,” said the director of the State Serum Institute, Kare Molbak. The new strain showed decreased sensitivity towards antibodies, he added.
“That is why we have to take this extremely seriously,” Molbak said.
Minks have also been euthanized in the Netherlands and Spain after infections were discovered.
Authorities had registered five cases of the new strain in mink farms and 12 cases in humans.
There are between 15 and 17 million minks in Denmark, authorities said.
Reuters
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