Porcine epidemic diarrhea has once again surfaced in Manitoba. According to the Manitoba Pork Council 60 cases of PED (24 finisher barns, eleven nursery barns, 24 sow units, one quarantine) up until July 26. Of those facilities with infected pigs, 48 are in southeast Manitoba, nine west of the Red River in the Lowe Farm/Morris Area, two in Whitemouth, and one in Notre Dame de Lourdes.
“Consult your herd veterinarian and visit Manitoba Pork’s biosecurity web page for ideas on where to make critically important biosecurity improvements in your operations,” said the MPC.
Janelle Hamblin, the manager of Swine Health Programs with Manitoba Pork, said the 2019 outbreak pattern is different than in previous years. The spike in the number of cases came about two weeks earlier in this outbreak as compared to 2017. However, the total number of cases are comparable between 2017 and 2019, sitting at 60 confirmed cases this year for 2019.
“In 2018, the total number of cases that we saw in the spring was 15 in total. So it’s a very different year this year as compared to 2018. But, comparing the two years, 2017 to 2019, the total number of cases that we saw this year, they came on a lot quicker. Like I say, about two weeks earlier as compared to 2017,” said Hamblin. “The majority of cases do remain in southeastern Manitoba, with a total of 38 in that area, to be exact. However, we see an increase in cases in other parts of the province. Nine cases in the Lowe Farm area, two in Whitemouth, and one in Notre Dame de Lourdes; so we need to be aware that the southeast isn’t the only area in the province where we have PED.”
She said of the 60 cases; almost half are sow operations with 24 sow operations confirmed infected. Also, there are eleven nurseries confirmed positive, and 24 finishers and one in quarantine.
“So in terms of susceptibility, sow operations could see more contact with moving piglets downstream, depending on what their flow is,” said Hamblin. “That would increase the risk, just with the amount of traffic on the yard. However, each site does operate a little bit differently, so it is difficult to tell susceptibility based on the operation. But, certainly, we have seen more sow operations infected this year.”
While the economic impact is real, Hamblin laid out the effort to contain the additional spread of the infection and clean up infected premises, including the roles of the organizations and agencies.
“The sector as a whole has a role to play with heightened biosecurity efforts in these areas have at the farm level. So producers, barn managers, veterinarians, us here at MPC, have been working with producers on biosecurity,” she said. “But, also, biosecurity for service providers and transport agencies, feed deliveries, working with all sector stakeholders to get a better sense of what biosecurity efforts we need on-farm. Producers need to remain diligent and talk to every person that comes on to their farm about the required biosecurity when they do that visit. I think that this is not a one-person job. The sector as a whole, everybody involved on-farm servicing, on-farm work, and the veterinarian. It certainly is a team effort.”
Hamblin said they’re applying significant effort in thorough disease tracebacks. With Manitoba Agriculture, the staff at Manitoba Pork, and the herd veterinarians working with their producers to identify linkages and possible sources of infection to get a better handle on risk factors.
“On the farm, enhanced biosecurity, and awareness of disease pressure in the area is very important. I know that our herd veterinarians are working diligently with their clients to help reduce that risk at the farm gate,” she said. “Adding to the increased biosecurity practices, we’re encouraging producers to contact their service providers, and anyone is coming on to their farm, to keep in regular contact regarding their herd health status. The better we can communicate, the more we can plan how deliveries will roll, how traffic will move, and reduce the risk of disease spreads.”
Hamblin said the Manitoba Coordinated Disease Response or the MCDR is a valuable tool for quick and effective outbreak information, or getting outbreak information out to the Manitoba producers.
“Communication is key, and this platform acts as a one-stop-shop for all current disease info. It is a valuable tool, and we encourage more producers to sign on,” she said. “The MCDR provides a great benefit to those in the area currently affected by PED. But, it’s not exclusive to only those in the area. It does give producers the intel of where cases are, how close they are to their operation, which allows for better risk planning.” •
— By Harry Siemens