What we’ve learned from 10 years of PED

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a highly contagious viral disease that poses significant challenges to the swine industry worldwide. To effectively combat PED, a comprehensive approach involving prevention, robust biosecurity measures, effective disinfection practices, and an understanding of potential routes of entry into swine operations is essential.

Insights from the Swine Health Monitoring Project

In 2013, the introduction of PED into the United States brought a heightened awareness of disease transmission. As the first major foreign animal disease in the U.S. swine industry in decades, PED prompted the Swine Health Monitoring Project (SHMP) team, led by Dr. Bob Morrison, to extend its porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) epidemiology initiative to include PED.

Dr. Morrison, a respected swine veterinarian and University of Minnesota professor, had initiated the PRRS project to enhance understanding of the epidemic’s dynamics and seek alternative strategies to combat the disease. The integration of PED into the project meant that this model not only shed light on the PED outbreak but provided invaluable insights into the impacts of introducing new diseases to U.S. animal industries and the evaluation of control strategies.

Today, disease dynamics are reported weekly in the Morrison SHMP report. Below is an example of the PED report that many veterinarians and industry leaders receive.