Asian countries like Japan have also been affected, said Brockhoff. "There's no question that it continues to move throughout the pig world in a very significant way."
Earlier this week, Manitoba's chief veterinary officer confirmed his province's fifth on-farm case of PED. The virus had been found on two other farms last week.
"Canada has just over 70 confirmed cases since Jan. 22 of 2014," said Brockhoff.
While the virus has also been found in Quebec and Prince Edward Island, it's Ontario that's been the site of most of the cases. But efforts there to eradicate PED are showing signs of success. "They believe right now that they have approximately 34 sites that were positive presumed negative again," said Brockhoff. "That's really encouraging."
In addition to urging producers to ramp up their biosecurity measures, Alberta Pork has been conducting an aggressive testing program for the past 37 weeks - focusing on high-traffic sites like assembly areas, processing facilities and truck washes.
"We continue to have all negative samples, and we've taken nearly 4,500 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests across Alberta since we began the program," said Brockhoff.
It's critical that producers remain diligent, he added, especially with the virus so prevalent elsewhere and fall manure spreading underway.
PED is often fatal to young pigs, but does not affect humans and is not considered a food safety issue.
Source: AlbertaPork