The porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus is spreading in Japan, with infections confirmed in 110 farms in four prefectures such as Kagoshima and Miyazaki, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Since the disease spreads via contact with manure, the ministry’s animal health division said it is necessary to investigate channels of infection and strengthen disease prevention. The ministry warns the spread of the epidemic means there is a possible flaw in infection control measures, which would allow other diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease to spread.
The PED infection was found in Japan for the first time in seven years last October in Okinawa Prefecture, and continued to spread mainly in western Japan. As of Jan. 23, infections were confirmed in 87 farms in Kagoshima, 18 farms in Miyazaki, three farms in Okinawa and two farms in Ibaraki Prefecture. The number of infected farms was 12 in mid-December, but efforts to control the spread of the disease have failed. The number of infected pigs totaled roughly 24,000 as of Jan. 21.
The causes for the spread of the disease are believed to be oral infection via virus-containing manure, or carrying in of goods or vehicles contaminated with the manure of infected pigs. The ministry calls on farmers to strengthen disease prevention measures, such as checking the health conditions of pigs when shipping them and conducting thorough disinfection when entering facilities where many vehicles of stockbreeders come and go.
The PED, whose symptoms are loss of appetite, watery diarrhea and vomiting, is more likely to kill piglets than adult pigs.
(Jan. 25, 2014)