PED Virus Takes Emotional Toll On Producers

The Province of Ontario now has 76 confirmed cases of the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus.

 

The latest case was confirmed February 20th on a farrow-to-finish farm in Oxford County.

 

Dr. Sue Burlatshenko was one of the first veterinarians to deal with the disease when it emerged in Ontario in early 2014.

 

She says the disease can have an emotional impact on hog producers.

 

"It's hard on them, we care for our animals," said Burlatshenko. "They took it very personally. We would talk a lot on the phone and it's actually almost like a mutual support system. Talking is good, telling them 'you're going to get over it' and you get to the 4 to 5 week period and the light at the end of the tunnel's there and it becomes better again. Just being there is important, all of us - not just vets, but other producers, the industry."

 

There have been five on-farm confirmed cases of the PED virus here in Manitoba.

 

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.