DES MOINES, Iowa — When Dr. Deb Murray arrived at a sow barn to deliver the news that porcine epidemic diarrhea virus had broken out, she scrambled into action.
She started making plans and organizing the emergency management plan.
Then she noticed that most of the staff were sitting in the office, dejected and looking lost.
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“They think they’re going to get fired,” she realized.
“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 just one of dozens of ways that a disease outbreak can hit the people working in a barn. It’s a situation that upsets people, drains them of confidence and certainty and undermines disease control efforts.
Guillherme Cezar of Iowa State University said workers can feel like they failed when there is a disease outbreak, with a sense of bewilderment hitting those who have followed their 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 feel trapped in a dark place with little hope.
“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. They might be struggling with a terrible sense of uncertainty if managers don’t explain what’s going to happen, when it’s going to occur 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 do a lot to keep up 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.”
