2008 PRESS RELEASES
May 9, 2008
VIRGINIA MAINTAINS PSEUDORABIES FREE STATUS
Contact: Marion Horsley, 804.225.3820
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that Virginia qualifies to continue its status as a Pseudorabies Free State. This designation means that the Virginia commercial swine herds are completely free of Pseudorabies, a disease that can cause weight loss and death in swine. Virginia was first designated Pseudorabies Free on January 1, 1996 and has maintained that status every year since.
“Receiving and maintaining our free status is very important for Virginia for both animal health and economic reasons,” said Dr. Richard Wilkes, State Veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). “Free status is like a stamp of approval from the USDA that your animals are disease-free. This has positive implications for the farmers who sell livestock; it means their animals can move freely through the market system.”
Pseudorabies is a disease of swine caused by a herpes virus. It is highly contagious among swine and is occasionally transmitted to cattle, sheep, dogs, cats and wild animals. It is called Pseudorabies because of its rabies-like symptoms; the disease causes high mortality in young piglets and infection during pregnancy usually results in fetal death and abortion.
The National Pseudorabies Eradication State-Federal-Industry Program is a five-stage program to rid the U. S. of this costly disease, and being declared “free” is the fifth and final step.
“Losing our Pseudorabies Free status would have a severe impact on Virginia’s farmers and potentially have a negative impact on our agricultural economy,” said Todd P. Haymore, VDACS Commissioner, “so we continually test and monitor animals throughout the state. The USDA reviews our test data and epidemiological tracings every year to determine that we are still free of this disease. Because we are able to maintain our ‘free’ status, Virginia livestock producers continue to enjoy unrestricted movement of their swine.”