Wisconsin Sounds ‘All Clear’ On Pseudorabies Front

The “all-clear” signal has been given by state veterinarian Bob Ehlenfeldt in the Wisconsin pseudorabies (PRV) case.

Followup tests show no further infection in Clark County, putting an official end to the state’s first PRV outbreak since 1998.

Hogs in two herds in the central Wisconsin county tested positive for the disease in April. Those two herds were destroyed and all hogs within a five-mile radius of each site were tested. Those tests all proved negative.

Following destruction of infected herds and cleanup of the facilities, federal regulations require that all hogs within a two-mile radius be tested again in 30 to 90 days. On retest, all sites were negative for PRV.

As a result, Wisconsin maintains its PRV-free trade status and the state quarantine on animal movement was lifted. It’s expected that California, Kansas and Michigan will lift import restrictions on swine imported from Wisconsin. California and Kansas have been requiring import permits for swine from Wisconsin, while Michigan banned all Wisconsin swine.

Ehlenfeldt says there are three lessons to learn from this outbreak: never let your guard down concerning these “old” diseases; small producers need to practice good biosecurity just as much as larger ones do; and premises need to be registered so animals can be tracked.