USDA has reported three new cases of New World Screwworm as we come out of the Holiday weekend. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has responded on X about those cases. “In the last 24 hours, 1 lamb in Crockett County, TX and 2 calves in Edwards County, TX have tested positive for New World Screwworm, bringing the total number of domestic confirmed detections to 15. USDA has already taken action and will be starting sterile fly dispersal flights over Crockett County (outside current affected areas) immediately.
“The Edwards County detections are inside the currently affected area. This was anticipated, even with sterile fly dispersals underway, because Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) does not kill existing larvae. Instead, it prevents future generations of flies. Because a fly’s life cycle is an average of 21 days, it takes multiple reproductive cycles for populations to die off following sterile fly releases. As such, we may continue to see cases occur in already affected zones — a sign that our surveillance is working.”
We now have a total of 15 cases of New World Screwworm that have been reported since June third- mainly in Texas (and one in New Mexico) with three of the cases now declared inactive. Details of the cases to date can be found on the USDA Screwworm.Gov website.
Meanwhile, the Texas Animal Health Commission offers a tip on how to make it easier to regularly inspect your animals- Bribe them! “Cattle cubes aren’t just for snacks- they’re a practical and valuable tool for New World Screwworm prevention. Getting your animals accustomed to regular inspections today can help prevent infestations tomorrow. Click here for a tip from the TAHC on how to use cattle cubes to aid in your inspection efforts.
And- USDA is pushing back on bad information on social media- one post from X suggests that New World Screwworm maggots like dead flesh- “Screw worm is only problematic for factory farms. Talk to small and midsized ranchers. They’ll tell you screwworm only eat dead flesh from open wounds.Healthy cows aren’t affected.”
USDA replies “New World screwworm doesn’t eat dead tissue. That’s the entire issue. It feeds on living flesh. Healthy cattle become vulnerable through navels, cuts, branding wounds, castration sites, tick bites, etc. If it only ate dead tissue, the U.S. wouldn’t have spent decades and billions eradicating it. Please do some basic reading before spreading misinformation. You’re describing an entirely different type of maggot.”
USDA’s website, Screwworm.Gov, has lots of information on how to stay ahead of the pest on your operation, the latest on cases in Mexico and the US and more- click here.
Editor’s note- courtesy of Texas Farm Bureau- the picture above is of the Sterile Fly that can mate with the wild flies and stop the females from laying fertile eggs which can hatch and become flesh eating maggots.
