News

Lessons learned from PEDv

A year ago, reported cases of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus were significantly higher than they are today.

Dr. Paul Sundberg, vice president of science and technology at the National Pork Board says while the infection rate is very low right now, there are still cases being reported.  “There are some breeding herds that are still getting infected and some sow units that are still getting infected,” he says.  “But primarily what we’re getting is infection in the finishing floors – and that’s most likely related to traffic back and forth from packing plants.” And he says, not implementing strict biosecurity practices.

Sundberg tells Brownfield the Pork Checkoff has invested around $3 million in research to fight the virus.  “That goes all the way from those very basic epidemiology and virus survival tests to what we’re starting to learn now is more about the possible role of feed,” he says.  “Also, the immunity that is a result of infection and how that can last and what we can expect going forward.”

He says pork producers don’t want to go through a virus like this again – and because of that, the National Pork Board has committed $15 million to the formation of a Swine Health Information Center.  “That’s a five-year project that will do three things,” he says.  “It will monitor the world for swine diseases to help us be ready, assess our risks and prepare us for something else to come in,” she says.  “It will fund research that will help us be better prepared with diagnostic test and other tools should another virus break, and it will also help facilitate sharing of swine health information within the pork industry.”

Dr. Sundberg spoke at Indiana Pork’s annual meeting yesterday.