As if in defiance of the optimism that Porcine Epidemic
Diarrhea virus has been contained, two more Ontario cases surfaced Tuesday and
Wednesday.
On Tuesday, it was a farrow-to-finish operation in Oxford
County and on Wednesday a farrow-to-finish operation in Essex County.
Earlier this week, Dr. Doug McDougald of the Ontario Swine
Health Advisory Board and the Ontario Pork Industry Council expressed optimism
that the outbreak can be contained now that the main source – nursery feed
rations with a blood plasma from the United States – is off the market.
On its website, and copied on the Ontario Pork marketing
board site, is a message from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food that
begins:
“PED is not a risk to human health or other animals. It is not a food
safety risk.
“Given the hardy, virulent nature of PED it is not unexpected to find
it present in various locations. The experience in the U.S. has shown us that.
The virus is generally fatal for very young animals. Older animals can
recover, as in fact some are on affected farms.
“The present goal is to limit the spread of the virus through
stringent biosecurity measures. It is critical that all those in the industry -
producers, transporters, suppliers - work together and increase vigilance with
biosecurity measures.”
