Farm connections flagged in infectious disease spread

Glacier FarmMedia – When Dr. Deb Murray arrived at a sow barn to deliver the news that porcine epidemic diarrhea virus had broken out, she immediately organized an emergency management plan.

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Why it matters: Hog barn workers’ morale can suffer when a disease outbreak occurs among the animals.

Then she noticed most of the staff were sitting in the office, dejected and looking lost. She realized they feared they would be fired.

“No, no, no, we’re going to need you,” she reassured the workers, who were then able to jump into the disease response effort.

That’s one among dozens of ways a disease outbreak can affect people working in a barn. It’s an upsetting situation that drains workers’ confidence and undermines disease control efforts.

Guillherme Cezar of Iowa State University said workers can feel as though they’ve failed when there is a hog disease problem. A sense of bewilderment may hit those who have followed animal care instructions.

“We have done everything right, and still we broke,” said Cezar, summing up a sentiment he has heard.

“They want to understand why they broke, how they can fix that.”

Barn managers might understand what’s involved in a management, control or depopulation approach, but sometimes they don’t communicate it to the workers who need more information.

“What is the timeline? What’s a typical timeline?” said Dr. Laura Dalquist of the Swine Vet Centre. “When can I get to the light at the end of the tunnel?”

Those are questions barn operators need to address even if workers never ask them. Those workers might be struggling with a sense of uncertainty if managers don’t explain what will happen, when, and what each person’s role will be.

“It’s just taking time to explain that,” said Murray.

Dealing with sick, dead or dying pigs is upsetting for barn workers committed to keeping them healthy and happy. Barn operators can help workers’ morale by showing that humans need care and attention, too.

“Coming out and bringing meals and things like that to the farm helps,” said Dalquist. “Just being there and helping them to do the work is sometimes what they need.”