Hawaii Department of Agriculture officials ordered a quarantine to stop the movement of pigs on Oahu after an outbreak of a serious swine disease was confirmed on a farm in Waianae Valley Thursday.

The department issued a quarantine after cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus was confirmed on the farm. The virus causes significant sickness in swine and causes high mortality in piglets. It only affects pigs and does not pose a risk to humans or pets, and it is not a food safety concern, according to the department.

Last week, the farm called the department’s Animal Disease Control Branch to report many cases of diarrhea among their swine. Symptoms of PEDv in swine include acute diarrhea and dehydration. State veterinarians took samples from the farm and sent them to the Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory which confirmed the virus Thursday morning. 

Acting State Veterinarian Dr. Isaac Maeda issued the quarantine Thursday on the farm to contain the outbreak and also to stop the movement of pigs on the west side of Oahu. The order also restricts movement of swine from Oahu to neighbor islands.

Disease control measures are in place on the farm, which has about 150 pigs, officials said. About 25 percent of the pigs died last week. However, it appears that the remaining pigs are recovering. It is not known at this point how the virus may have come to Hawaii, officials said.

“Our current focus is to contain the virus and prevent its spread on Oahu,” Maeda said in a news release. “We will also survey other swine operations and try to determine if the virus has spread.

Statewide there are about 230 pig farms, 70 of which are on Oahu, mostly small operations, officials said.

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For more information: Swine farmers who have questions can contact the Animal Disease Control Branch on Oahu at 438-7106, or visit the department’s website, http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/ai/ldc/.