VMED 5335- SWINE MEDICINE

Disease Control and Prevention

MODULE 2
DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION

Overview

In this module, you will learn about Biosecurity, Handling Disease Outbreaks
and Disease Control Strategies and OIE-listed and priority diseases of swine
in the Philippines.

Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, you are expected to:
1. Discuss the principles and levels of biosecurity
2. Enumerate different disease control strategies
3. Identify reportable diseases of swine by the OIE

Biosecurity, or preventing the transmission or introduction of diseases, is a

cornerstone of modern veterinary service in the pig industry. It is the implementation of
measures that reduce the risk of the introduction and spread of disease agents.

Principles of Biosecurity

1. Disease Transmission- understanding disease transmission is central to

designing proper biosecurity protocols
-diseases can be transmitted by direct animal-to-animal contact, contact with
contaminated fomites, through mechanical and biological vectors, contaminated
water and feed
2. Disease Prevention- disease prevention depends on:
i. Stringent bioexclusion
ii. Early detection by Surveillance
iii. Implementation of biocontainment policy
3. Disease Control- focuses more on reducing the consequences or economic
impact of a disease
4. Disease Management and Disease Determinants- disease-risk management
must be an integral part of any animal management program, the success of a
disease control program depends on the ability to identify and subsequently
address risk of infection
5. Risk Assessment- used to estimate the probability of exposure to an agent, the
probability that exposure will cause infection and disease, the probability that
disease will spread, and the consequence of such spread
6. Host resistance- immune efficiency is the key factor governing host resistance
Lygene Harmony C. Culimay, DVM
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Science and Medicine
Central Luzon State University
1
VMED 5335- SWINE MEDICINE
Disease Control and Prevention

7. Epidemiology- effective biosecurity requires an understanding of the causal

relations between exposure and disease
i. Source of Infection- identify infected animal and assess other variables such
as shedding pattern, host range, mode of transmission and farming
practices
ii. Transmission
▪ Horizontal transmission- by direct contact with infected animal and
indirect exposure from contaminated objects
▪ Vertical Transmission- between parent and offspring, transovarial
transplacental transmission
iii. Spread- influenced by incubation period, replication rate, resilience,
virulence of disease agent, contact rates between infected and susceptible
individuals
iv. Susceptibility and Predisposition- species, breed, type of susceptible hosts,
host, agent and environmental factors
v. Prevalence- Endemic diseases are difficult to prevent, whereas diseases that
are exotic (ie, not normally present) or epidemic in nature are easier to
track, contain, and eradicate.
vi. Morbidity and Mortality
vii. Recovery- influenced by disease determinants

Three Levels of Biosecurity

1. Conceptual Biosecurity (Primary Level)- relates to the location,

geospatial siting, and orientation of the facility. It also includes the
scope and size of animal production units and complexes
2. Structural Biosecurity (Secondary Level)- deals with physical factors,
such as farm layout, perimeter fencing, drainage, number/location of changing
rooms, presence of showers, air filtration systems, enclosed load-outs, and
housing design, construction, and maintenance of a facility which help prevent
the transfer or aid in the containment of disease.
3. Procedural/Operational biosecurity (Tertiary level)- deals with processes
and protocols, management practices, or standard operating
procedures implemented to prevent introduction (bioexclusion) and spread
(biocontainment) of infection within a facility.

Developing Biosecurity Program

Biosecurity programs consist of bioexclusion, surveillance, and biocontainment;

1. Bioexclusion- prevent or limit the introduction of disease-causing agents into
a herd below the threshold for infection and colonization by preventing
pathogen from moving across physical or imaginary barriers (protection zones)
*Sound epidemiological principles should be used to establish zone barriers
Lygene Harmony C. Culimay, DVM
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Science and Medicine
Central Luzon State University
2
VMED 5335- SWINE MEDICINE
Disease Control and Prevention

a) Primary Control Zone: Animal Confinement Facility- smallest epidemiologic

unit within the company where animal share a common environment,
common management practices, and similar likelihood of pathogen
exposure. The boundaries of these facilities represent well-defined barriers
to entry and an ideal place for implementation of critical control procedures

b) Secondary Control Zone: Farm or Site- defined boundary surrounding the

farm, physical (eg, fence) or imaginary boundaries that serve as access
points to the secondary control zone, and the farm animals share a common
environment with common management practices, thereby sharing a
common likelihood of exposure to pathogens from nearby containment
facilities
c) Tertiary Control Zone- Groups of animals that share a communal animal
handling facility (ie, a complex), seldom fenced, imaginary boundary

2. Surveillance- used to described ongoing data collection to estimate disease

prevalence and severity in a population
*Monitoring vs. Surveillance
• Monitoring- to collect statistically reliable prevalence data that can be used
to track trends in disease incidence and severity over time
• Surveillance- based on a prevalence data from a readily available sample
of population to correct perceived increases in disease incidence

3. Biocontainment- to reduce the consequence of disease by limiting the

opportunity for challenge (bioexclusion), enhancing resistance (immunization),
and preventing spread (quarantine)

Handling Disease Outbreaks

1. Set up Quarantine - Isolation of animals that are either: infected, suspected of

being infected or non-infected that are at risk and designating separate caretakers
for affected animals
2. Reach a Diagnosis as soon as possible
3. Report Notifiable Diseases
4. Ensure appropriate nursing care
5. Appropriate treatment should be given only when a diagnosis is made

Disease Control Strategies

❖ Quarantine- isolation of imported animals

- Restricting movements in infected areas;
- Preventing movement of animals from infected to non-infected areas; and,
- Prohibiting the movement of animals from different areas.

Lygene Harmony C. Culimay, DVM

Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Science and Medicine
Central Luzon State University
3
VMED 5335- SWINE MEDICINE
Disease Control and Prevention

❖ Slaughter/Culling- indicated when dealing with permanent infection, lack

effective treatment, high risk of spread (eg ASF), major zoonosis and exotic or rare
diseases
❖ Disinfection and Cleaning- use appropriate type of disinfectant
❖ Vaccination
▪ Ring Vaccination- strategic vaccination around outbreaks to help contain
disease by vaccination of close contacts
▪ Blanket vaccination- general vaccination over a wide area
❖ Herd Immunity- the proportion of immune animals in the population wherein
the resistance of a group of individuals attack by disease is based on the resistance
of a large proportion
❖ Improvement in Husbandry, Environment and Feeding- sanitation and proper
ventilation, feed quality
❖ Therapeutic and prophylactic chemotherapy- use of Antibiotics,
anthelmintics, other drugs, hyperimmune serum for treatment or prevention and
to increase productivity.
❖ Disease monitoring and disease surveillance- detect disease outbreaks
quickly before they spread, determine entry of new virulent strains

Role of The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)

o Facilitate exchange of public health, animal health and scientific information,

and to further the control and eradication of animal diseases
o Regulates the international trade of animals and animal products
o Develops standards and guidelines for use by its Member Countries to
protect themselves against incursions of diseases or pathogens during trade
in animals and animal products while avoiding unjustified sanitary barriers
o Aids in the establishment of international agreement on animal and plant
sanitary measures

OIE-Listed Diseases of Swine

▪ African swine fever- it is highly contagious and fatal to pigs, but does not pose
a risk to human health, characterized by hemorrhagic disease similar to Classical
Swine Fever and only differentiated by laboratory testing. The first case occurred
in the Philippines in 2019.
▪ Classical swine fever- highly contagious, often fatal, notifiable viral disease of
swine characterized by fever, hemorrhages
▪ Nipah virus encephalitis- zoonotic, most pigs affected developed a febrile
respiratory disease with severe cough, and encephalitis, bats act as viral reservoir
▪ Porcine cysticercosis (Taenia solium)- caused by the larval stage of the
tapeworm which causes taeniosis in humans

Lygene Harmony C. Culimay, DVM

Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Science and Medicine
Central Luzon State University
4
VMED 5335- SWINE MEDICINE
Disease Control and Prevention

▪ Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome- reproductive failure and

postweaning respiratory diseases, the most costly disease of the global swine
industry
▪ Transmissible gastroenteritis- acute rapidly spreading viral disease of swine
of all ages, characterized by diarrhea and vomiting

ASSESSMENT

1. It refers to the reduction of impact of a disease.

a. Bioexclusion
b. Biocontainment
c. Surveillance
d. Monitoring

2. Statement 1: Giving antibiotics immediately upon observing coughing in the herd

is a good disease control strategy
Statement 2: Isolating infected pigs is the first step in handling disease outbreak
a. Statement 1 is true, statement 2 is false
b. Statement 1 is false, Statement 2 is true
c. Both statements are true
d. Both statements are false

3. Farm A uses a tunnel ventilated housing. This is under what biosecurity level?
a. Conceptual
b. Procedural
c. Structural
d. Operational

4. Specific boots or footwears are used in different buildings. This is under what biosecurity
level?
a. Conceptual
b. Procedural
c. Structural
d. Secondary

5. The farm site is at an elevated place that cannot be flooded by rain water. This is under
what biosecurity level?
a. Conceptual
b. Procedural
c. Structural
d. Secondary

REFERENCES

▪ The Merck Veterinary Manual 11th Ed.

▪ OIE (World Organization for Animal Health). Retrieved from http://www.oie.int/

Lygene Harmony C. Culimay, DVM

Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Science and Medicine
Central Luzon State University
5