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Page 2 Release No. 0004.94 Kendra Pratt (301) 436-4898 Ron Hall (202) 720-3310

NEW MEXICO, MISSISSIPPI BEAT PSEUDORABIES; MORE STATES UPGRADE DISEASE STATUS

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3--New Mexico and Mississippi have successfully eradicated the livestock disease pseudorabies from all domestic swine herds, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official said today.

"We commend animal health officials and swine producers in Mississippi and New Mexico for their cooperative efforts to eradicate pseudorabies," said Billy G. Johnson, deputy administrator of veterinary services in USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

New Mexico and Mississippi have joined Wyoming, New York, Connecticut, Alaska, Maine and Utah in achieving Stage V or "Free" status in the five-stage state-federal-industry cooperative pseudorabies eradication program.

Accepting recommendations of the National Pseudorabies Control Board, APHIS also advanced Nevada to Stage IV; advanced California and Vermont to Stage III; advanced 76 counties in the state of Nebraska to Stage III; advanced Maryland and the Virgin Islands to Stage II; and added 15 additional counties in Minnesota to Stage III.

Johnson said states participating in the eradication program advance from Stage I to Stage V. Stage I is preparation. Stage II is control. Stage III is mandatory clean-up of all pseudorabies-infected herds. Stage IV is surveillance to make sure no infection remains. Stage V, pseudorabies-free status, is achieved if a state in Stage IV goes for one year without finding an infected swine herd.

Pseudorabies is a viral disease most prevalent in swine, often causing newborn piglets to die. Older pigs can survive infection, becoming carriers of the pseudorabies virus for life. Other animals, such as cattle, sheep, dogs and cats, can become infected from swine. Cattle and sheep infected with pseudorabies may show signs known as "the mad itch" by scratching and biting themselves. In dogs and cats, pseudorabies can cause sudden death. The virus does not cause illness in humans.

NOTE TO EDITORS: The status of the various states in the pseudorabies eradication program is as follows:

Stage 1: Florida, Iowa, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

Stage 2: Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Stage 2/3: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and North Carolina.

Stage 3: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Stage 4: Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon and Washington.

Stage 5: Alaska, Connecticut, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Utah and Wyoming.