With concerns about New World Screwworm increasing, the US Department of Agriculture says it is taking several steps to halt the spread of the pest from Mexico into the United States.
Screwworm larvae can burrow into living animals, causing serious to deadly damage. The main health concerns are for livestock, pets and wildlife, but USDA says screwworms can also impact birds and, more rarely, people.
Saying screwworm is a threat to the nation’s food supply and national security although it hasn’t been detected yet in the United States, USDA says it is investing up to $100 million to develop technologies that could work alongside the current method of using sterile flies. It also plans to build a sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Force Base in Edinburgh, Texas, with the goal of generating up to 300 million sterile flies per week and complementing both an existing plant in Panama and a yet-to-be-build facility in Mexico.
USDA also plans to hire additional mounted patrol officers and use training detector dogs to prevent screwworm movement through wildlife migration. It also says it plans to collaborate with its Mexican counterparts to help contain screwworm.
These steps expand the USDA’s effort to keep screwworm out of the country. The USDA had already closed southern ports of entry to livestock trade last month.
