The Manager of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network says, while Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea is being brought under control in western Canada, the risk of infection remains. In 2019 Manitoba reported 82 cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea while Alberta reported its first four cases.
All four infected Alberta farms have reached presumptive negative and there have been no new cases while Manitoba is well on its way to cleaning up the farms infected last year and only two new cases have been reported this year.
Dr. Jette Christensen, the Manager of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network, says there is still a risk.
Clip-Dr. Jette Christensen-Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network:
They have to make sure that any contact with high traffic, high risk facilities, so that would be abattoirs, assembly yards, layover facilities for pigs that are transported long distances and any connection to transport vehicles could be high for contaminating their farms again spreading PED so make sure your biosecurity is appropriate for that.
The other threat that we have right now is that spring is the time when you spread your manure. You have to be extra careful when you're spreading manure from farms that were previously infected because PED can stay in the manure for years.
We don't know exactly how many years but just make sure that you don't spread too many dust and aerosol particles when you spread manure and try to make sure that farms have closed doors and so on and so forth. Do not drag manure into your barns on your boots and cloths.
Source : Farmscape