In the spring of this year, a relapse of the 2017 PED outbreak that struck in April and by November had infected 80 swine sites hit Southeastern Manitoba.

Jenelle Hamblin, the Manager of Swine Health Programs with Manitoba Pork said lessons learned from the PED outbreak last year are a significant factor in helping contain an outbreak that broke this spring.

Last year 80 swine sites in Manitoba became infected by Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea. In 2018, the industry confirmed the first case on May 15, with 10 cases identified as of July 25, 2018. Hamblin said dealing with the infection last year stakeholders have a good sense of how to manage things this year.

“We did a great job containing the virus this time around. It has a lot to do with our experience from 2017, knowing what to look for, knowing how to work in this scenario, everywhere from the CVO (Chief Veterinary Officer) level, MPC level, herd veterinarian level to producer manager level, knowing what the signs are and what proper biosecurity practices should be in place,” she said. “Having 10 cases versus 80 last year, shows we’ve learned a lot concerning how we move those animals around, limiting those number of movements, how we interact with people coming onto our facilities, onto our premises. I think that that’s played a big part in limiting the spread in 2018.”

Hamblin said in 2017, they saw some sites break thinking they were moving animals that were recovered and later learned those animals were shedding the virus for much longer than expected and therefore infecting downstream premises.

“This year we didn’t do that because we knew that if these animals were infected, they potentially could be shedding for a long period … That I think was also a big lesson we took away from 2017,” she said.

Hamblin applauds the efforts the swine sector including everyone at the CVO office who have worked hard to monitor, track, and trace back these cases and the diligence of producers and veterinarians in stepping up and maintaining biosecurity.

In reviewing the situation for 2018, Hamblin said the first case in 2018 is a finisher operation previously infected in 2017.

“The practicing veterinarian, the manager on site, as well as our sales here at MPC and those at the CVO office, were aware of the response required, being that we’ve dealt with this before all around,” she said. “So, from our perspective, largely on the communication side, getting notifications out to the rest of the sector, producers all through the MCR, the Manager of Coordinated Disease Response, as to where the first case was, as well as the map of its location and updating the status list on its change in status and disease status for PED.”

The ten sites infected so far this year are all in Southeast Manitoba, four sow operations, three nurseries, and three finishers. If anything said Hamblin, this new outbreak has them searching for more answers to more questions especially looking at how this virus is moving around.

“We’re working with the herd veterinarians and service providers on the ground to do trace backs, trace in, trace outs of contacts to each of these sites to identify potential overlap or sources for infection,” Hamblin said. “I’m happy to say, I suppose, that we haven’t been able to see any linkages from these interactions, which is a good thing, meaning that people are following proper biosecurity and they’re aware of how they’re interacting on the farm. But, where it still leaves us is scratching our heads as to how that virus is getting into these operations.”

CVO is still looking at manure spreading application, timing, as well as weather patterns as to see if there are any linkages to that sort of movement of the virus. They don’t have any of the results from that data for the farms as of yet, but something that would be interesting to see once it’s available. •

— By Harry Siemens