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Producer Alert: Seneca Valley Virus (SVV)

On September 13, 2016, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) informed the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that 13 sows of Canadian origin exported to the US in six separate loads for immediate slaughter had vesicular lesions. In addition, two loads of sows were refused entry into the US on September 14 after vesicular lesions were identified at the port of entry. [Source: Alert issued by Manitoba’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Megan Bergman, on Friday September 16 2016.]

The USDA testing has yielded negative results for vesicular foreign animal diseases (Foot and Mouth disease/FMD, Vesicular Stomatitis/VS, Swine Vesicular disease/SVD and Vesicular Exanthema/VE), but some samples were positive for Seneca Valley Virus (SVV). The CFIA has commenced its own investigation to determine the movements of the implicated animals and complete its own sampling and testing. So far, one assembly yard in Ontario has been implicated, as well as 12 farms in Ontario and Quebec. Investigations at these sites are ongoing.

It is important that producers immediately report any suspicion of vesicular disease to their herd veterinarian and CFIA so that further investigation can be pursued, which may include the CFIA taking samples to ensure rapid rule out of vesicular foreign animal diseases of concern. To prevent the spread of disease, no animals should be moved from a farm once a disease is suspected until the investigation is complete. This includes movement to slaughter.

Producers’ best defence against introduction of many diseases is to maintain high levels of on-farm biosecurity.