Manitoba pork farmers scramble to contain virus that's fatal for piglets

Farmers in Manitoba, Canada's third-largest pork producing province, are scrambling to contain a mysterious outbreak of a rapidly spreading virus that's deadly to piglets and threatens to harm their industry.There are 51 pork operations dealing with porcine epidemic diarrhea, up from about 40 at the end of last month, said Andrew Dickson, general manager of the Manitoba Pork Council."It caught us off-guard," Dickson said Monday. "We had a total of 10 cases in three years, so that's what's throwing us off for a loop ... What happened this year that we've suddenly got 50?" He said the virus has so far been contained to about a half-hour's drive radius surrounding Steinbach, southeast of Winnipeg, and farmers are doing what they can — including reviewing biosecurity measures, equipment and clothing — to stop it from spreading.