The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) has issued a quarantine order stopping the movement of pigs on Oahu after an outbreak of a serious swine disease, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), was confirmed on a farm in Waianae Valley. PEDv causes significant sickness in swine and causes high mortality in piglets.

Image/Video Screen Shot
Image/Video Screen Shot

Last week, the farm called HDOA’s Animal Disease Control Branch to report many cases of diarrhea among their swine. State veterinarians took samples from the farm and sent them to the Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Confirmation of PEDv was received  this Thursday morning.

Acting State Veterinarian Dr. Isaac Maeda yesterday issued a quarantine order on the farm to contain the outbreak and also to stop the movement of pigs on the west side of Oahu. No swine shall be moved east past Nanakuli from Makaha, Waianae and Nanakuli Valley. The order also restricts movement of swine from Oahu to neighbor islands.

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Disease control measures have been instituted on the farm, which has a total of about 150 pigs. About 25 percent of the pigs (mainly piglets) died last week. However, it appears that the remaining pigs are recovering and no deaths have occurred on the farm since the weekend. It is not known at this point how the virus may have come to Hawaii; however, the farm did not import any swine.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus is a disease occurring only in pigs, caused by a coronavirus that does exactly what the disease name implies: produces acute and severe outbreaks of diarrhea that rapidly transmits among all ages of pigs (epidemic). There is no risk to human health.

Huge numbers of virus particles are shed in feces. One thimble-full of feces could contain enough virus to infect all the pigs in the United States. The PED virus is being detected in samples collected from pig collection points, slaughter facilities, transportation vehicles and innumerable fomites illustrating the vast potential for transmission.

Since its appearance in the United States in April 2013, PEDv has spread within the swine industry.  In recent months, an additional related virus, porcine delta coronavirus (PDCoV), has appeared in this country. Industry analysts estimate more than 8 million swine have died from PEDv since the disease was first discovered in this country during the spring of 2013.

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