Oregon mink farmers must self-isolate after animals and staff test positive for COVID

Workers at a mink farm in Oregon have entered quarantine after contracting COVID-19, as farm animals become the first in the state to be infected.

Mink from Michigan, Wisconsin and Utah have also tested positive for the virus.

Oregon officials said all ten mink samples were positive.

It was not clear how many humans were infected with the virus, and the farm was not named.

Animals, including mink, cats and dogs, can catch COVID from humans. But while cats and dogs seem to suffer from mild symptoms, the virus can be fatal to mink.

At present, there is no evidence that animals in the United States, including mink, play a significant role in transmitting the virus to humans, according to the CDC and the United States Department of Agriculture.

In Europe, however, millions of animals have been slaughtered after people in Denmark and the Netherlands were confirmed to have contracted a mutation from the mink virus – raising fears that a human vaccine would become unnecessary.

“Group 5”, as the mutation is known, was last detected in September and is believed to have now been eradicated.

After workers at the Oregon farm tested positive, state veterinarian Ryan Scholz of the Oregon Department of Agriculture immediately placed the farm in quarantine, meaning no animals or products. animal cannot leave the farm until further notice.

“We have been working with the Oregon mink industry for some time, providing information on biosafety to prevent the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 and we were prepared to respond,” said Scholz.

“ The farmer did the right thing by reporting his symptoms early on and is now cooperating with us and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to take care of his animals and staff.

“ So far we have no report of mink mortality linked to the virus, but that could change as the virus progresses. ”

In Utah, 10,000 mink have died from the virus since August – the vast majority of the 15,000 known people nationwide have died from the coronavirus.

The United States has 359,850 mink raised to produce babies, called kits, and produced 2.7 million skins last year.

Wisconsin is the largest mink producing state, followed by Utah.

Sick mink from Wisconsin and Utah have been exposed to people with probable or confirmed cases of COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.

In Michigan, it is still unclear whether the mink were infected by humans, according to the agency.

In Utah, the first US state to confirm mink infections in August, about 10,700 mink have died on nine farms, said Dean Taylor, state veterinarian.

“Of the nine, everything still suggests a one-way ticket from people to mink,” he said.

In Europe, officials disagree, however, and Denmark on November 4 ordered the slaughter of its entire mink population – 17 million animals – to protect humans from the virus.

The slaughter came after it was discovered that mutated versions of the coronavirus had developed in animals and had affected at least 373 people.

Any of these mutations could compromise future vaccination efforts.

Denmark’s controversial policy takes a gruesome turn, however, with the bodies of gassed dead mink rising from the ground as they decomposed, not having been buried properly.

The government is now considering exhuming the animals and burning the carcasses.

Danish mink are valued for the high quality of their fur. The Danish industry employs 6,000 people and exports fur skins worth 800 million dollars (670 million euros) per year.

The head of the Danish Mink Breeders Association said earlier this month that the industry is now completely over.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, in tears, visited a mink farmer on Friday and apologized for her government’s handling of the case.

Massive cullings also took place in France, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland.

In the United States, authorities do not plan any mass culling because they do not believe that mink infects humans.

Monitoring American mink for symptoms of the virus and quarantining infected farms should limit the spread of the disease if cases are caught early, said Richard Webby, virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. from Memphis.

“I’m pretty convinced that as long as they have this surveillance and it’s strong enough, they should be able to prevent the spread,” he said.

U.S. officials are urging farmers to wear protective gear such as masks and gloves when handling mink to avoid infecting the animals.

In Wisconsin, about 5,000 mink died on two farms, state veterinarian Darlene Konkle said.

A farm compost the dead mink to dispose of carcasses without spreading the virus, Konkle said.

Authorities are working with the second farm to figure out how to dispose of the mink, and the dead animals are kept in a metal container in the meantime, she said.

Michigan refused to disclose the number of dead mink, citing confidentiality rules.

State officials said they are working with the USDA to determine whether farmers can sell the infected mink skins. The hides are used to make fur coats and other items.

The coronavirus has also infected cats, dogs, a lion and a tiger, according to the USDA.

Experts say mink appear to be the most sensitive animal to date.