Porcine epidemic diarrhea syndrome (PEDS), discovered in Europe in 1969, and now widespread in European countries and China, has also killed 60,000 pigs in Batangas Province since it struck hog farms in the Philippines last June.
PEDS is an acute diarrheal disease caused by a coronavirus, affecting pigs of different ages.
Signs in adult pigs include anorexia, lethargy and diarrhea, while young pigs exhibit vomiting and watery diarrhea.
Mortality rates can reach 100% for nursing pigs and 50% or greater for piglets.
A Philippines provincial veterinarian reports that PEDS has spread quickly from town to town. PEDS is thought to be an airborne infectious disease, carried by winds or contaminated objects from affected farms.
Treatment includes electrolyte replacements to protect against diarrhea and secondary bacterial infections.
Biosecurity measures, including the quarantine of hog farm personnel, are being implemented to stop the spread of the disease to unaffected areas.
Pigs that survive the disease are being sold at a big discount.