CHIANG RAI, 26 June 2015 – An outbreak of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) has been reported in the northern province of Chiang Rai, with local authorities battling to curb the spread.
PRRS is a viral disease characterized by two overlapping clinical presentations, reproductive impairment or failure in breeding animals, and respiratory disease in pigs of any age. Around 50 pigs have been killed by PRRS since May 10.
The livestock unit in Chiang Rai has declared 3 districts in the province an outbreak zone and announced that no pigs can be transported in and out of the affected areas during June 10 to July 6.
Pigs that died of unknown causes are urged to be buried, instead of eaten. Local units remain alert against an outbreak in other areas in the province.
Recently, PRRS has become a worldwide endemic disease of pigs. In 2006, an atypical and more virulent PRRS (HP-PRRS) emerged in China and spread to many countries, including Thailand.
