PEDv Update: 5 Confirmed Ontario Farm Cases, 3 Location Confirmations & Vaccine Approvals

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Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) has now been confirmed on five pig farms in Ontario. Testing by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food has also confirmed presence of the virus at a trucking yard, an assembly yard and a processing plant.

The federal government is now working to make more tools available to help producers control the virus. Late last week the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced it is prepared to authorize veterinarians to import iPED+ vaccine for use in Canadian pig herds.

The vaccine’s maker, Iowa-based Harrisvaccines, claims studies have shown that vaccinated pigs develop antibodies against PEDv virus. It will be available for use in pigs in Canada under veterinary supervision.

The fifth case of PEDv was confirmed at a wean-to-finish operation in Simcoe County on Jan. 31. The first case, a Middlesex county farrow-to-finish operation, tested positive for the virus nine days earlier.

Ontario’s Chief Veterinary Officer Greg Douglas and producer groups are counting on increasingly vigilant biosecurity measures to slow and mitigate the spread of the virus. Ontario Pork Chair Amy Cronin is asking producers to immediately call their herd veterinarians if they see any signs of PEDv symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting.

The first case of PEDv in the US was diagnosed May 2013. Since then, the virus has killed more than one million pigs in 23 states. Mortality rates can reach up to 100 percent in suckling pigs. The death rate declines as pigs are weaned.

For the latest information, and for biosecurity protocols click on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture site here.

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