Mink with coronavirus ‘infect two people in Europe’s first animal transmission’
CORONAVIRUS-infected mink have spread the bug to two people in Europe's first possible cases of animal-to-human transmission, warn officials in the Netherlands.
“Of course the original source of infection in China was also very likely animals," said health chief, Jaap van Dissel.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
The cross-species infections were announced today by government and health authorities, a month after two mink farms were put into quarantine as animals were found to have contracted the virus.
The mink, which were tested after showing signs of having trouble breathing, were believed to have been infected by employees who had the virus, the agriculture ministry said.
In April, the ministry played down fears of animal-to-human transmission as "minimal", citing advice from national health authorities.
But movement of the ferret-like mammals and their poo was banned.
People were advised not to travel within 400 meters of the mink breeders.
Dutch police sealed off the two mink farms in the south of the country.
Mink farmers, vets and people in research institutions were told by the government to notify officials immediately if they noticed breathing problems and or an increase in mortality in minks.
Then, on May 20 the Dutch Agriculture Minister told parliament that a worker on a farm where mink are bred to export their fur contracted the coronavirus from the animals.
Carola Schouten admitted that earlier advisories from her office that people could infect animals, but not the other way around, was wrong.
And today government and health authorities said a second person had contracted the bug after being in contact with an infected mink.
Schouten repeated that the country’s health department believes the risk of animal-to-human transmission of the virus outside the farms on which they are kept is “negligible".
Mink carrying the virus have now been diagnosed on four of the 155 farms in the country, she said.
On three of the four infected properties, the source of infection has been shown to be a sick human, while the fourth is still under investigation, the minister said.
Health chief Jaap van Dissel said that, while a few cats and other animals had been infected with Covid-19 by humans, the Dutch mink-to-human transmissions were practically unique.
“This is the first time we’ve found, at least we’ve shown that it’s likely, that in two cases the infection has gone from animal to human,” he said in testimony to parliament on Monday.
“Of course the original source of infection in China was also very likely animals.”
BAN ON MINK
Mink fur is sold in China, Korea, Greece and Turkey.
After pressure from animal rights activists, the Dutch government banned new mink farms in 2013 and said existing ones would have to close by 2024.
Animal rights campaigners from PETA Netherlands dressed in protective suits to urge Carola Schouten to bring forward the ban.
The group claimed: "Dirty fur farms full of sick, stressed and injured minks are breeding grounds for diseases."
Mink are not the only animals to have contracted the killer bug.
Big cats at the Bronx Zoo in New York City came down with coronavirus in April.
The animals were tested after a four-year-old Malayan tiger called Nadia started coughing last month and was later confirmed to have been struck down.
Most read in world news
But there has been a lot of confusion over whether pets can catch or carry coronavirus.
During the early stages of the outbreak, scientists and government officials initially confirmed that it wasn't possible.
However, several dogs and a cat tested positive for Covid-19 following close contact with infected humans, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health.
On April 2, the said: "Now that Covid-19 virus infections are widely distributed in the human population there is a possibility for some animals to become infected through close contact with infected humans."
