For the first time in years, a case of New World screwworm, a parasite fatal to livestock, has been confirmed in the US. The US Department of Agriculture confirms this.
Journalist at HLN
Source: Belga
The screwworm is a flesh-eating parasite that kills cattle within days. A calf tested positive in Texas, the Department of Agriculture confirmed.
According to US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, this is the only positive case that has been identified. There is no reason to believe that this is the start of a screwworm infestation. The ministry is setting up a quarantine zone of 20 kilometers around the place where the parasite was found.
The risk for people to be affected by the parasite is estimated to be low
It has been 2016 since another case of screwworm was confirmed in the US. Then a deer tested positive in Florida. The parasite was last found in livestock in 1976, when the Texas economy suffered $375 million in damage.
The deadly parasite has been found more frequently in Mexico in recent months. A case was recently discovered less than 40 kilometers from the American border.
Sterile flies
The US will also accelerate the release of sterile flies. This method attempts to thin out the population of screwworm flies. The risk for people to be affected by the parasite is estimated to be low.