STORY – An H5N1 virus, which usually only circulates in birds, caused a deadly epidemic in a mink farm.
Disaster was probably averted. In October 2022, when minks began to die in a Spanish farm located in Galicia, veterinarians first thought of a Covid epidemic. But tests on small carnivores quickly unmasked an unexpected culprit: bird flu. The H5N1 family virus is currently responsible for a worldwide epidemic in poultry farms. The incident, described in the Eurosurveillance newspaper on January 19, is the first documented case of transmission between mammals. Several species, such as humans, foxes, cats, bears or seals, have already been contaminated following contact with birds, but without circulation of the virus within these species.
This time, the bird flu spread at high speed in the breeding of more than 50,000 mink, leading to a rapid increase in mortality. The alert is immediately launched. Examination of the corpses reveals hemorrhagic lesions…
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