Canada releases porcine epidemic diarrhea strategy

The Canadian Swine Health Board (CSHB) reports that its national strategy for dealing with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) calls for diligence of all swine industry stakeholders.

As the cause of the PED outbreak detected in mid-May in the United States remains a mystery, the Canadian industry is taking proactive steps to help prevent its spread to Canada. The virus is an aggressive strain causing widespread watery diarrhea in all ages, leading to up to 100 percent mortality in nursing pigs. Other ages of pigs are affected as well, although not as severely as nursing pigs. Investigative teams in the US are working to establish the source of the outbreak, and it is hoped that detailed questionnaires from veterinarians in the US will provide answers as well.  

This is the first time this disease has been seen in North America, and therefore the Canadian herd has no immunity against this virus. 

Components of the national PED strategy include:

•Heightened Biosecurity: Good biosecurity is the key to stopping the spread of this disease, including ensuring that incoming animals are from healthy herds, all trucks and equipment are free of contamination, and knowing the quality and source of all incoming feed ingredients. Several technical bulletins and updates provide key information, and are available here. 

•Effective Surveillance: Besides the important monitoring of herds through CSHIN, effective surveillance includes producers reporting any unusual signs of disease to their veterinarian, and also ensuring their veterinarian is participating in CSHIN.  Producers and veterinarians can find out more about CSHIN by contacting Dr. Chris Byra, CSHIN Manager at [email protected]. 

•Keeping Up-to-Date: The CSHB provides a free daily electronic update on swine health news. Especially now, all industry stakeholders should be receiving this to ensure they have the latest news on PED. We cannot protect against what we do not know. Subscribe to CSHB News Updates at [email protected]. 

•Risk Analysis: While fundamental initiatives to address this threat are already in progress, a national risk analysis will provide key details on further protecting the Canadian herd. Some risk assessments for PED are already underway, and consistently addressing these factors on a national basis is critical. Issues to be considered include diagnostic testing and capacity and financial impacts for producers and the rest of the value chain.  

•Control: An intervention strategy must be established so that a clear plan is in place, and can be immediately implemented, in the event of PED being found in Canada. Components of this plan include containment to prevent its spread and strategies to eliminate the disease. 

This PED strategy will continue to be revised and enhanced as more information on the disease and its spread is learned. All Canadian swine industry stakeholders are encouraged to actively participate in this collaborative national strategy.