Special Report

PEDv spread increases in North Carolina with cool weather

Cooler fall temperatures have increased the spread of a Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) in North Carolina, the nation’s second-biggest hog producer.

North Carolina’s livestock health director Tom Ray told Reuters that PEDv has spread to about 250 farms since June. He says that about a month ago, reports of two to three cases a week went to three new cases a day. Now, however, the virus’s spread is slowing. Ray says reports have started to go back to smaller numbers per week. There are challenges to locating farms with the disease because there is no requirement to report PEDv.

The disease is fatal to baby pigs, with the death rate in some litters up to 80 percent. PEDv has occurred in Europe and Asia, but this is the first year that it’s been found in the U.S. It’s not harmful to humans nor is it transmissible through pork.