Three Canadian
pigs have tested positive for Seneca Valley virus at a packing plant in the
United States.
The virus is not
particularly dangerous to either hogs or people, but is considered alarming
because it can easily be mistaken for foot-and-mouth disease which would be
devastating.
Foot-and-mouth
disease is deadly and highly contagious and if it is ever confirmed in a
Canadian animal, would immediately stop all meat and livestock exports.
There would also
be tight quarantine zones, including some that would stop all traffic in or out
of a property.
The United States
Department of Agriculture has alerted the Canadian Food Inspection Agency about
its findings and further testing in Canada confirmed it’s at two Ontario hog
assembly yards. It could not be confirmed at any place in Manitoba although one
of the hogs detected with the virus at the U.S. packing plant was from
Manitoba.
The Canadian Pork
Council is informing hog farmers that they have an obligation to report any
signs of a vesicular virus, such as Seneca Valley virus, to their veterinarian
and veterinarians have an obligation to report to the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency.
The council says “although SVV (Seneca Valley
virus) is not a reportable disease, its detection will halt the production flow
and processing as its clinical signs are similar to foreign vesicular diseases
such as foot-and-mouth.
If SVV or any other type of vesicular
foreign animal disease is suspected, it is important to immediately report this
to your herd veterinarian and the CFIA.
“Any
failure to report could lead to missing a potential FMD (foot-and mouth) infection
which could have huge impacts for the industry.
“Biosecurity measures should be reviewed
and movement from the farm should be halted and samples need to be collected
and sent out for proper analysis by CFIA laboratories.
“No sick, lame or animals with active
and/or healing vesicular lesions should be sent out and that includes movement
to slaughter.
“The CFIA will investigate all suspect
cases which may include taking samples to rule out vesicular FADs (foreign
animal diseases).
“The test
results usually become available within 24 hours from the time the samples
reach the CFIA laboratory.
