Manitoba Pork reports Manitoba's latest Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea outbreak has followed patterns similar to those in 2017 and 2019. At 64 cases of PED confirmed as of yesterday in Manitoba, the pattern in this latest outbreak is very similar to those of 2017 and 2019.
Jenelle Hamblin, the Manager of Swine Health with Manitoba Pork, says predominantly the majority of cases remain in the typical high-risk areas in southeastern Manitoba however a few cases have popped up this time around west of Highway 75 in the area of Brunkild, the RM of Cartier and the RM of North Norfolk.
Clip-Jenelle Hamblin-Manitoba Pork:
The risk factors that we've explored certainly haven't changed from previous outbreaks. We continue to look at biosecurity breeches on farm as well as in transit or when visiting high traffic facilities. Area spread, including wind and weather patterns have been explored.
One thing that we can say for certain in this outbreak though is that manure application is not a factor being that we haven't seen any manure applied during these winter months. But, absolutely looking at on farm as well as transport biosecurity breeches this time around. We're seeing some difficulties in terms of cleaning and disinfection in the cold.
The cold weather has presented issues with disinfectant concentration contact time. It certainly is not as easy as in the summer months to thoroughly clean a loading dock or even a trailer which is we are very much encouraging clean, wash, disinfect and baking of transport trailers at this time, just because of the increased risk as well as the enhanced viral load that we've seen in the southeast but also at high traffic facilities as well. We definitely need to be treating those as high risk.
Source : Farmscape