US PEDv Update: Expected to Worsen in Winter 2015-2016

ANALYSIS - Winter 2015/2016 could be worse than last year for Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) in the United States.
calendar icon 4 December 2015
clock icon 3 minute read

Joel Harris, Harrisvaccines Head of Sales and Marketing, said since PEDv has only been in the US for 2.5 years, the industry is still learning what kind of seasonality to expect from the virus.

"The concern is that since we have such a replacement rate of sows that going into this winter, there is going to be almost half of the sows in the US have a lower or no immunity to PED," Harris said. "So one of the things that we are looking at is how does that affect how many cases we have and the effects of it."

Joel Harris speaks with ThePigSite about PEDv and his expectations moving into the winter months.

The industry has done a great job coming together and getting a handle on PEDv, he said. Increased biosecurity, truck washing and animal welfare measures have worked well in containing the virus.

"Vaccination is a tool that's been successful in a lot of cases; producers and veterinarians are looking at what their options are going into the winter".

"Although we may not see as big of an outbreak as the initial one in 2013, I think going forward we will see these blips of more cases confirmed and some losses."

Best management practices will continue to play a key role in managing PEDv, and diagnostics technology will continue to rapidly advance while becoming more affordable, Harris said.

Sarah Mikesell

Editor

Sarah Mikesell grew up on a five-generation family farming operation in Ohio, USA, where her family still farms. She feels extraordinarily lucky to get to do what she loves - write about livestock and crop agriculture. You can find her on Twitter or LinkedIn.

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