10 new cases of PEDV in March not an outbreak: Swine Health Ontario

There were 10 cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) in southwestern Ontario in March, but pork producers shouldn’t be concerned this is the start of another outbreak, Swine Health Ontario says.

There were 10 cases in all of 2019, and 12 in 2018. The 10 cases last month are the most in a single month since April, 2014, just a couple of months after PEDV was first detected in Ontario. Six of the March cases were in Middlesex County, with one case each in Huron, Lambton, Perth and Haldimand. There have been 18 cases of PEDV so far in 2020.

Transmission of the disease, which causes watery diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration and can kill 50 to 100 per cent of young pigs, speeds up in cold weather and cases are most often confirmed in the winter months.

Bethany Davidson-Eng, manager of Swine Health Ontario, said that many of the March cases are connected.

“We wouldn’t consider this an outbreak situation as there is no farm-to-farm spread of PEDV at this time,” she said. “Most of the cases have been the result of an identified breakdown in biosecurity protocols associated with either assembly or transport.”

She said this is a good reminder for pork producers to review biosecurity procedures with their vets, as well as:

• Reviewing with staff and suppliers the importance of biosecurity;
• Ensuring all trucks are washed, disinfected and dried;
• Minimizing the need to pick up market hogs from multiple locations whenever possible; and
• Reviewing with staff the importance of monitoring for clinical signs so farmers can catch any outbreak in the early stages.

Davidson-Eng said with planting season upcoming, farmers will be bringing manure tankers to the fields, so pork producers should assume all roads outside the barn are contaminated.