Soon after swine enteric coronavirus disease, including porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, was identified in Indiana in 2013, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health established a web page dedicated to SECD and PEDV information and updates.
Related: Controlling PEDV Involves Full-Farm Commitment, Hard Decisions
Even before federal reporting became mandatory in June 2014, BOAH was providing updates about the spread of the diseases in Indiana to the pork industry. Now, the agency is making updates more accessible and regular for producers, veterinarians and others.
While there hasn't been much attention or action with PEDV this year pork producers are still keeping a watchful eye. Practicing extensive bio-security and watching hogs closely, now there is an extra management tool available.
Hoosier pork producers, veterinarians and others may now receive email notices about updates on some of the swine industry's most scurrilous diseases that may affect Indiana herds.
Twice a month, BOAH posts an SECD situation report that includes Indiana maps of newly identified cases, an analysis of positive and negative laboratory test submissions, along with an overview of Indiana's case history since reporting commenced. The goal of the situation report is to give industry information management decisions and assess risk.
In addition to email notices of then a new situation report is posted online, subscribers will also receive email notices of changes/updates to other features on the web page, including: herd status definitions, reporting forms and how to develop herd plans.
BOAH email update subscriptions are available online. Click on the red "subscribe for email updates" button to provide an email address for notices and updates.
According to National Hog Farmer, a mere thimble full of hog manure contains enough PED Virus organisms to infect every hog in the United States with this disease.
Related: PEDV is on hog producers' front burner again
Now that the industry is dealing with a third strain of SECD, maintaining bio-security is just as important as ever but up-to-date information from BOAH is another valuable tool.