#screwworm

#screwworm

In 1991, the Mexican state of Chiapas was the epicenter of the first eradication of the cattle screwworm infestation in history. An old sterile fly plant, which operated for about seven years in Chiapa de Corzo about nine miles from the capital, Tuxtla Gutierrez once produced millions of flies that achieved that initial victory over the pest. Now, 34 years later, the same disease is causing alarm in North and Central America.

Mexico has reported a 53 percent increase in cases of flesh-eating screwworm in animals over the past month, as the parasite continues its northward trajectory towards the United States border, according to government data. Mexican government data indicate that there were 5,086 cases as of August 17, including 649 active ones, the Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, citing updated data not yet made public.

Flesh-eating screwworm larvae poised to invade the US have snuck into Maryland via the flesh of a person who had recently traveled to El Salvador, upping anxiety about the ghastly-and economically costly-parasite. Reuters was first to report the case early Monday, quoting Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services, who said in an email that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed the case on August 4 in a person who had returned from a trip to El Salvador.

The New World Screwworm poses a significant threat to livestock, causing severe damage and lesions which can be fatal, severely affecting ranchers and livestock exports.