Outbreaks of a deadly pig virus in the U.S. are threatening to increase this autumn after a summertime hiatus, likely to cause a hike in pork prices and kill another 2.5 million pigs, Reuters reported.
After peaking in February, the spread of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), which thrives in cold and damp conditions, slowed down due to warmer temperatures. According to the USDA, food safety or humans are not at risk by the disease.
"There is still plenty of disease out there and it will be back with a vengeance in the fall," said Eric Neumann, a veterinarian studying the transmission of PEDv.
Tom Vilsack, U.S. Agriculture Secretary, made assurances Wednesday that the nation is likely "on the other side" of the PEDv due to approval of the first vaccine directly available to farmers. But concerns persist about the expected jump in infections.
Although the vaccine, developed by Harrisvaccines, an Iowa-based company, was approved by U.S. Department of Agriculture this week, there are uncertainties on whether the vaccine will be able to thwart PEDv in cold weather, Joel Harris, head of sales and marketing, said.
"There could be situations where the virus could overwhelm the immunity of the herd," he said.
Another 2.5 million pigs could die from July 2014 to June 2015, said Dale Polson, a senior veterinarian for pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, describing the outlook as "cautiously optimistic."
"Vaccines can serve a purpose of boosting existing immunity," he said. "The degree to which they're capable of doing so is a bit of a black box."
"The fast-moving virus has killed an estimated 8 million pigs, or about 10 percent of the U.S. herd, and helped lift retail pork prices to all-time highs around $4.10 a lb. since it first was discovered in the United States in April 2013," Reuters reported. "Prices could reach $4.64 by December, said Ricky Volpe, an economist for the USDA."
"A renewed PEDv outbreak could mean millions of dollars more in losses for U.S. pig farmers and further damage to international trade. Already, export markets such as China, Russia and Japan have restricted imports of live U.S. pigs due to PEDv."
With 7,250 PEDv cases being confirmed in the latest USDA data, farmers have been ordered to report any new cases this autumn. A pledge of $26 million has also been made to fight future outbreaks.