Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) Virus
PED is a virus that causes severe dehydration and diarrhea in pigs. The virus is generally fatal in very young animals, however older animals can recover.
PED is not transmitted to humans or other animals. It is also not a food safety risk.
Strict biosecurity practices help limit the spread of the virus. All pork producers must maintain strict on-farm biosecurity procedures to keep PED out of the barn. It is critical that the entire industry, including producers, transporters and suppliers work together to reduce transmission through good biosecurity practices.
Symptoms may include:
- Sows: loose feces, off feed, vomiting
- Piglets: watery diarrhea, dehydration, vomiting, death
- Weanlings/Feeders: watery diarrhea, almost all animals are sick, vomiting
For instructions on PEDv sample collection and submission, please consult the VDS PED Guidelines (PDF 352 KB).
PED is a reportable disease in Manitoba, so producers should contact their veterinarian immediately if animals show any signs of illness.
PED Infected Premises:
Last update: November 6, 2024
PED Infected Premises (IP) in 2023:
The 2021 outbreak continued into 2023.
Premises marked with an asterisk (*) are re-breaks.
#IP130 has reverted to full negative status. It received negative pigs from a positive premises on February 7, 2023, and post-movement testing has confirmed the pigs remain negative.IP130 is considered as never having been positive for PED.
#IP131 has reverted to presumptive negative status. It received negative pigs from a positive premises on February 7, 2023, and post-movement testing has confirmed the pigs remain negative. IP131 is considered as never having been positive in this outbreak.
#IP132 has reverted to full negative status. It received negative pigs from a positive premises on February 9, 2023, and post-movement testing has confirmed the pigs remain negative. IP132 is considered as never having been positive for PED.
PED Infected Premises (IP) in 2022:
*Charts and figures have been adjusted to better reflect re-infections in the same outbreak. 
PED Infected Premises (IP) in 2021:
Confirmed On-Farm Cases of PED (2014 - Present): 329 Cases at 184 Premises
 |
|---|
Infected 1X |
Infected 2X |
Infected 3X |
Infected 4X |
Infected 5X |
90 |
49 |
40 |
4 |
1 |
Following confirmation of infection, several statuses for each of the 184 premises can be achieved following protocols developed by the Chief Veterinary Office (CVO) and Manitoba’s swine veterinarians.
Positive |
Transitional |
Presumptive Negative |
Negative |
Retired |
0 |
0 |
153 |
28 |
3 |
Status Definitions:
- Positive – status assigned to a premises following a confirmed positive PCR test for the virus.
- Transitional – status assigned to a premises that is undergoing virus elimination from a PED outbreak, has not had any clinically infected animals for 42 days, has maintained effective biocontainment and can provide sufficient evidence that animals are not shedding PED.
- Presumptive Negative – status assigned to a premises where the affected producer has implemented strict measures to eliminate PED from all pigs and pig contact areas and have confirmed the virus has been eliminated through repeated animal and environmental testing. However, a potential PED risk still remains within the manure storage system. Depending on the herd type and the stage of production, a PED infected premises can take 4-6 months to reach this status.
- Negative – status assigned to a premises where the affected producer has completed sufficient environmental and manure storage testing to demonstrate the virus is at levels no longer determined to be at risk of spreading the disease. Depending on the herd type and stage of production, a PED Presumptive premises can take anywhere from 18-24 months, or even longer, to reach Negative status.
- Retired – status assigned to a premises where animals are no longer present or the barn has been decommissioned, and did not implement PED elimination protocols.
PED Surveillance through Environmental Testing
A voluntary PED testing program is ongoing at high-traffic sites that move or handle large numbers of pigs, including livestock assembly yards, federal and provincial abattoirs, truck-wash stations and livestock trailers. As of November 1, 2024, 56,240 samples have been submitted for PED testing from 21 high-traffic sites. Nine sites have tested positive for PED.
| High-Traffic Site | Date First Positive | Sample Type |
|---|---|---|
| Site #1 | March 7, 2014 | Environment |
| Site #2 | March 31, 2014 | Environment |
| Site #3 | April 9, 2014 | Environment |
Site #4 |
April 15, 2014 |
Environment |
| Site #5 | April 15, 2014 | Live animals |
| Site #6 | April 21, 2014 | Environment |
| Site #7 | April 22, 2014 | Environment |
| Site #8 | April 24, 2014 | Live Animals |
| Site #9 | October 17, 2014 | Live Animals |
Follow-Up
When positive samples are confirmed either on-farm or at a high-traffic site, biosecurity measures are heightened. All parts of the supply chain are notified and encouraged to maintain strict biosecurity to reduce the spread of the virus. To date, follow-up has occurred with over 500 Manitoba premises throughout all investigations.
Support for Biosecurity Procedures
Manitoba’s CVO will continue to work with the pork industry to help affected producers eliminate the disease from their herds and prevent it from spreading. Producers who have questions about PED, biosecurity and related issues are encouraged to contact the Manitoba Pork Council for their resources and expertise. Biosecure routing and notification is conducted for high risk movements of infected pigs or material. Regular transport movements that involve a high risk of PED contact, such as movement of cull sows to slaughter plants within PED endemic areas of the US, are now using dedicated transports and following predetermined routes year round.
PED Across Canada
On January 22, 2014, the first Canadian case of PED virus was confirmed on an Ontario farm. PED continues to occur sporadically in regions that have had a significant number of farms impacted by PED. On going surveillance is underway in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. Further information about the disease and response in specific regions can be found through the resource links provided below.
PED Provincial Resources
Alberta
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Additional Resources
Contact
For more information, or if you suspect any animal health related concerns, please contact the Chief Veterinary Office or call 204-945-7663 in Winnipeg.
