New Cases of PEDv in Manitoba Canada
Since May 2, 2017, 49 new sites in Manitoba, Canada, have had confirmed cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv). PORK reported on the very first of those cases on May 4 in this article, but the increased number of cases since that time is alarming.
Those sites are in addition to the 11 confirmed cases between February 14, 2014 and September 21, 2016. All of the sites are located in southeast Manitoba. Nine of the 60 total sites are determined to be “PED Presumptive Negative, following a negative status protocol developed by the Chief Veterinary Office and Manitoba’s swine veterinarians, reports Manitoba Agriculture.
According to the agency, a PED Presumptive Negative premises is a premises where the affected producer has implemented strict measures to eliminate PED from all pigs and pig contact areas and have confirmed the virus has been eliminated through repeated animal and environmental testing. However, a potential PED risk still remains within the manure storage system.
Manitoba has a program that encourages producers to share site location information. When an affected producer voluntarily provides permission to his herd veterinarian to share the information with Manitoba Pork and other swine veterinarians, the waiver allows the CVO and Manitoba Pork to assist the producer in a more comprehensive and timely manner, while concurrently protecting the broader pork industry.
Environmental Testing
A voluntary PED testing program is ongoing at high-traffic sites that move or handle large numbers of pigs, including livestock assembly yards, federal and provincial abattoirs, truck-wash stations and livestock trailers. As of July 5, 2017, 18,936 samples have been submitted for PED testing from 20 high-traffic sites.
Manitoba Pork urges all producers to sign the waiver with their respective veterinarian – and encourages all veterinarians to ask their clients to sign it and keep it on file – ahead of a disease outbreak.
