October 1, 2014
Virus kills 7 million pigs in the US; spread to other countries feared
A deadly virus has killed millions of pigs in the US and pig raisers in nearby countries are being warned about its possible spread.
Chris Levy, president and CEO of the Jamaica Broilers Group, said the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv)--which destroys the lining of the pigs' gut, causing severe diarrhoea and dehydration--has killed over 7 million piglets in the USexports.
He raised the alarm in the recent 12th annual general meeting of the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association, saying the virus should not be taken lightly, as it has spread to at least 30 states in America.
"We have to recognise the vulnerability in a small nation and the impact it can have on us," he told the Jamaican pig growers recently.
He noted that the disease had also spread to Canada, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Levy said the PEDv which first surface in the US in April 2013, has resulted in "significant shortages" of pork in the US.
No vaccine has so far been successfully formulated to curb the virus, he said.