A fourth case of the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus has been confirmed in Alberta.

Alberta Pork announced the outbreak on Friday, March 15, saying this is the fifth reported case in the province, however one of the reported cases turned out to be a false positive.

The virus has previously been found in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec and PEI, but was reported for the first time in Alberta back in January.

Earlier this year, Alberta Pork Executive Director, Darcy Fitzgerald, said the disease made its way into the United States from Asia, and was first confirmed in Canada in 2014.

The farm group says hog operations within 60 kilometres of the fourth confirmed case will be notified.

PED affects pigs with no risk to human health. This incident has also not caused any food safety concerns.

For more information on what you can do to protect your farm, visit Alberta Pork's website to view their PED toolbox.

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