By Bruce Cochrane.
The national Manager for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Foreign Animal Disease Program says the agency's investigation into an incident involving Seneca Valley Virus will continue until any risk of foreign animal disease has been ruled out.
In response to incidents last week where Canadian origin sows exported to the U.S. where found to have vesicular lesions the Canadian Food Inspection Agency launched a foreign animal disease investigations.
Dr. Amy Snow, the National Manager of the Foreign Animal Disease Program, part of the Animal Health Directorate of the CFIA, says on September 13 the USDA informed the CFIA that 13 sows of Canadian Origin exported to the U.S. for slaughter has vesicular lesions and two loads of sows were refused entry on September 14 when the same types of lesion were identified at the port of entry.
Dr. Amy Snow-Canadian Food Inspection Agency:
The USDA testing results were negative for any foreign animal diseases of concern that can present the same way as Seneca Valley Virus but Seneca Valley Virus was detected in some of the samples.
At this point in time the CFIA's own investigation to determine the movements of the implicated animals is ongoing.
The CFIA is not tracking SCV or Seneca Valley Virus directly.
The agency is responsible for responding to foreign animal diseases with similar clinical signs.
Seneca Valley Virus is not a reportable disease in Canada or the World Organization for Animal Health.
However, as the clinical signs and lesions of Seneca Valley Virus are identical to other diseases of concern, rapid investigation is absolutely imperative in every case.
Swine presenting with signs similar to foreign animal diseases of concern, for example Foot and Mouth Disease, must be treated as such until these diseases can be ruled out by the CFIA.
Dr. Snow says it's important for producers to report any suspicion of Seneca Valley Virus to their herd veterinarian and CFIA so that further investigation can pursued to ensure the rapid rule out of foreign animal diseases of concern.
Source: Farmscape