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PEDv Information

PEDv (Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus) Outbreak 2014 News and Information for Fairs

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) has already killed millions of pigs in the United States and it has been confirmed in swine herds in Canada. The virus causes diarrhea, vomiting and severe dehydration in hogs. It is fast moving, quickly changing (it is an RNA virus) and has severe consequences for the pork industry.

The United States Department of Agriculture has announced that PEDv is a reportable disease and specific procedures have put into place. Please refer to the PEDv section of the USDA's website: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/home/

This is the USDA's FAQ on the situation (as of May 2014) http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/2014/faq_pedv_federal_order.pdf

KEY FACTS

It is critical that every fair insure they understand the key facts about this disease, and the most important – it does not impact humans! This is a disease impacting only pigs. However, all animals (including humans) can be a vector, carrying the virus to pigs through manure-contaminated equipment, clothing, and other materials.

  • It is transmitted via fecal-oral route – the virus gets into the pig's intestines through the mouth, not through respiration.
  • It is NOT a food safety issue, but is a production issue
  • Pigs have been found to shed the virus for as long as 21 days, and the virus can live at least 28 days under certain conditions
  • The disease manifests extremely quickly after exposure – 1 to 3 days
  • Mortality rates for neonates (baby pigs) is quite high – 100% in pigs less than 3 weeks old.

Pork Board Fact Sheet http://www.pork.org/filelibrary/PED-WhatIsIt.pdf

PEDV NEWS

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FAIRS

  1. Stay informed, especially to communications from your state and provincial animal health officials.
  2. Risk assessment and bio-security: each fair has different risks, so it is important to conduct risk assessment for your own event and insure that bio-security plans have been adopted. See below for an excellent tool available from the Pork Board.
  3. Educate: this is an excellent time to educate both exhibitors and guests about good agricultural practices. See below for resources from the Pork Board.

RESOURCES