One reason why the minks in Denmark have been killed has been a concern that the virus has mutated and that in such cases it could affect how a vaccine works.
In Denmark, changes have been observed in a protein on the surface of the virus called nail protein, says Karl Ståhl.
- Many vaccines target this nail protein.
If the structure of the protein changes, the effect of a future vaccine will decrease, he says.
Denmark is thus killing all its 17 million minks, but in Sweden the situation does not look the same.
In Sweden, there are currently about 650,000 minks on various mink farms and from next week, the so-called fur will take place when minks are killed to become furs.
- After that, we only have 100,000 minks left and then the risk of something similar happening in Sweden is much lower, says Karl Ståhl.
In Sweden, monitoring is now taking place where minks are continuously sampled in Sweden and the development of the virus and people in the minks' environment is monitored.