#17,631
Amid media reports this morning that another 5 Finnish fur farms are under investigation for possible H5N1 infection (see YLE report Food Agency: Five new fur farms are being investigated for bird flu) - which, if confirmed, would bring the total to 30 - we've a report from Ruokavirasto to begin testing all 130 mink farms in the country.
As reported last week, eventually all 400 fur farms in the country will be tested, but that will take several months to complete. The first phase, involving high risk mink farms (see PNAS: Mink Farming Poses Risks for Future Viral Pandemics), appears to have begun.
Today's (translated) statement from the Food Agency.
Avian influenza monitoring for all fur farms is started from minks
August 23, 2023
At the beginning of September, the Finnish Food Agency will start bird flu monitoring for all fur farms. In the first phase of monitoring, the presence of the bird flu virus in minks from fur farms is investigated, because bird flu infections in minks pose a greater health risk to humans than bird flu infections in foxes and raccoons . Samples are taken from each of Finland's approximately 130 mink farms.
Mink is a particularly problematic animal species when it comes to avian influenza virus infections. In the mink's upper respiratory tract, there are receptors that bind both bird and human influenza viruses, which is why mink are susceptible to infections caused by both types of influenza. The simultaneous infection of these viruses in mink can cause the emergence of a new type of virus variant, which may be more susceptible to infecting humans.
The first phase of the monitoring is to be completed by the end of October, after which we will move on to the monitoring and sampling of the fox and raccoon kennels. Blood samples are taken from fur farms for antibody tests, and animals that have died or are euthanized by themselves are taken to detect the virus. Samples are taken by municipal veterinarians and samplers authorized by the Food Agency. The samples are examined in the Food Agency's laboratory. The samples are also examined for the presence of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) at the same time.
The infection was found in 25 fur farms
The bird flu epidemic started in fur farms in Ostrobothnia in mid-July. The first infected fur farm was found in the Food Agency's laboratory tests on July 13, and since then bird flu infections have been confirmed at a total of 25 fur farms.
For these shelters, shelter-specific reports on the infection situation have been made and a total of approximately 120,000 animals have been ordered to be euthanized. Termination orders have been issued to 13 shelters so far, and terminations are still ongoing in one shelter. In total, there are approximately 400 fur farms in Finland, which are estimated to have 1.3 million fur animals. After the autumn skinning, there are about 300,000 animals left in the shelters.
In controlling animal disease epidemics, the most important thing is to identify animal farms where there are animals affected by the disease. In the monitoring of animal diseases, diseases are best found by examining sick or recently dead animals, because in them the infection is most likely to be active and the probability of finding the cause of the disease is also the highest. By killing infected and exposed animals, the infection pressure can be reduced in the most effective way.
Monitoring of various animal diseases is carried out continuously at the Food Agency, and the need to expand the monitoring program is evaluated as necessary. Regarding bird flu, it has been decided to investigate all fur farms.
There are also media reports this morning (see New rules are planned for fur farms) indicating that Finland's Ministry of Agriculture is planning to require stronger bio-security procedures at fur farms to prevent the entry of avian flu, but those changes may still be months away.
Meanwhile, H5N1 marches on.
