Coronavirus cases at Dutch mink farms highlight need to monitor animal spread
- Mink are thought to have contracted the illness from employees at the farms, which have been quarantined
- As more species become infected and the situation evolves, expert says ‘it’s pertinent that we keep an eye on this’
Two mink breeding farms in the country have been placed under quarantine after animals were found to have been infected by the virus that causes Covid-19, likely from farm staff, according to reports of a government announcement on Sunday.
The Dutch agriculture ministry said there was “minimal” possibility that the infected minks could spread the virus to humans or other animals on the farms.
But the outbreak on the farms, which produce fur, underlines the critical need for careful monitoring of animals during the pandemic, both for human and animal health, according to experts.
“We are finding more and more species are becoming infected, including tigers and domestic cats and now mink. Because [the situation of] Sars-CoV-2 is evolving fairly quickly, it’s pertinent that we keep an eye on this,” said Peta Hitchens, a veterinary epidemiologist and senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia, referring to the virus that causes Covid-19.
Hitchens said there was a potential risk for the virus to further mutate and spread among animals living in close proximity to each other, which would be particularly detrimental if threatened or endangered animal populations were affected.
