JASPER — A deadly pig disease is spreading across farms throughout the Midwest, killing an estimated 4 million hogs since it was discovered last spring, a swine expert said Tuesday.
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, or PEDv, infects a pig’s intestines, causing severe diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration, said John Baker, a veterinarian at the Warrick Veterinary Clinic in Boonville.
Baker spoke at the Southern Indiana Pork Conference, which was sponsored by the Purdue University Extension Service and Indiana Pork Producers Association. More than 30 hog farmers gathered at the Schnitzelbank Restaurant in Jasper for the annual conference.
According to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, the disease has been reported in 43 counties. The virus has yet to hit Dubois County but has appeared in Daviess, Martin and Vanderburgh counties, said Denise Derrer, spokeswoman for the state board of animal health.
PEDv poses no risk to humans or food safety but could drive up the price of pork. Processors will have a harder time buying pigs for slaughter if the disease continues to spread. Several companies are developing vaccines, but none offer 100 percent protection.
The first confirmed case in the U.S. came last spring in Iowa. Since then, the virus has spread to 26 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network.
PEDv spreads from farm to farm through fecal contamination in trucks and trailers. When the virus broke out last spring, it wasn’t recognized until it was too late.
Hogs were sold for slaughter “because they weren’t sick really. They had a little bit of diarrhea,” Baker said. “Then the packing plants got infected. They weren’t ready for it.”
“We basically just trucked this virus all over the place,” he added.
The first case in Canada was reported in January. The disease has now been confirmed in four provinces: Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, according to the Canadian Swine Health Board.
The mortality rate is nearly 100 percent for nursing piglets, but full-grown pigs usually recover from the virus because they have a stronger immune system, Baker said.
When there is an outbreak, piglets should be weaned immediately and placed in a nursery at 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Hogs should be given only electrolytes and oral antibiotics until the diarrhea stops. The carcasses of pigs that cannot be saved should be incinerated, Baker said.
Dan Buechler, who runs a hog farm south of Jasper, has taken steps to prevent the virus from infiltrating his herd. He inspects all trucks and trailers that come through his farm to make sure they have been cleaned and disinfected. Hog producers and processors have always sanitized their trucks, but because of the outbreak, trailers are being washed more thoroughly.
“It’s a big concern because it’s affecting a lot of farms,” said Buechler, who was unable to attend Tuesday’s pork conference. “We’re hoping we don’t get it.”
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