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Pork producers brace for expected spike in PRRS infections

Pork producers are bracing for an uptick in cases of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or PRRS.

Swine Health Information Center executive director Paul Sundberg says the prevalence of PRRS was fairly low in 2023.

“Even into this (time period) that we’re entering into now, into the classical PRRS season, it continues to be relatively low. The expectation is of course that we’re going to have a spike.”

He tells Brownfield infections on wean-to-finish sites are climbing.

“And usually the breeding herds follow that by one to two months in their spikes, so we’re just getting into that one month to two month type of timeline and we expect that to continue to spike.”

Sundberg says the PRRS “hot spots” tend to be Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska.