New World Screwworm Info - June 2026

[00:00:01]Hi everyone, I'm Katie Nelson, executive director of public policy here at Indiana Farm Bureau. Today we're talking about an issue that's getting a lot of national attention right now. New World Screworm. What it is, why it matters, and what Indiana livestock owners need to know. And to help break this down, I'm joined by two leaders who work on the front lines of the animal industry and our cattle industry here in Indiana.

[00:00:23]First, Dr. Kyle Shipman, Indiana state veterinarian with the Board of Animal Health. He's here to walk us through the fundamentals, what is New World screwworm, how this parasite spreads, and what the actual risk looks like for Indiana livestock. We also have Brian Shudter, executive director of the Indiana Beef Cattle Association, who will share what producers are asking, what they should be watching for, and how the industry is preparing. We're going to cover the basics, the risks, and practical steps livestock owners can take to stay informed and protect their herds. So, let's go ahead and get started. Uh, Dr. Shipman, what is New World screworm? when I was googling it and the pictures were showing up, you know, and I heard about this a couple years ago, um, it kind of gives me the heebie-jebies.

[00:01:04]>> Yeah, that is not a common uh it's not something we commonly see, right? So, the last time it was in the United States, again, back to the 60s with a little brief stint in the Florida Keys uh in the early 2016 era. Um, but what is New World screwworm? That's a great question. So, this is a pest um that is commonly found in South and Central America. And so that's that's why it hasn't been on our news for quite a while. Um it has been controlled uh down to those parts. And so what makes this pest unique is its ability uh in its in its uh stages. So we talk about the screworm and that's what we typically reference it by. Um however there's a fly stage as well, right? So think of the fly and the pupa. You may also call it a maggot. Um similar uh it's all part of that life cycle for the screworm. and and and the true issue that we find with that screw worm is as it gets its name um this uh pupa in in that stage actually can screw into living tissue right so the fly looks for a wound uh once the wound is in play uh the fly is there in it will lay the eggs the pu they'll pupate out um and then it can really dive into that wound and make the wound um even larger yet right so that's really where the dangers lie so we're looking at the economic losses related to the fly itself. Um, generally these can be caught early. Um, it doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to see a high mortality or death rate from this fly. However, we can see uh because it is a fly and as many hooers are aware, flies can be quite uh burdensome throughout the summer months. Uh it's it's a nuisance factor um as well as the aggravating piece of it, you know, being able to kind of anchor in and screw into these wounds to create further damage.

[00:02:51]we could see some economic losses um to that extent as well.

[00:02:55]>> Great. Thank you for that overview. Are beef cattle the only species really sus susceptible to this?

[00:03:02]>> Yeah, that's a great question. So, beef cattle are susceptible to this, but really any warm-blooded animal is susceptible to new world screworms. So, whether it's beef cattle, uh uh our swine uh across the state as well, um our farm raised deer, wildlife, as well as pets. The other thing we want to urge caution is um humans are susceptible as well. We are not unique or different in that aspect. Um if we look at the data coming out of Central and South America um as well as Mexico, we're seeing over 150,000 livestock cases, but also over 1,500 human cases of being impacted by this screwworm. So um it doesn't uh differentiate very well between species.

[00:03:45]Uh so it is truly an equal opportunist.

[00:03:48]uh and you know we typically see uh more the livestock species uh at a uh higher risk if you will mainly because there's not uh good preventatives in place right so and we'll dive in that into that in a little bit later but on the dog and cat side the companion animal side generally a lot of those animals on monthly heartworm or flea and tick preventative and some of those uh products have been either emergency use authorized or conditionally approved to help prevent um and treat new world screwworm in those species specifically. That's not to say there's no products on the livestock side, but we understand uh you know the handling it takes to make sure that those products um are getting applied appropriately. It can be restrictive in how often they are applied.

[00:04:34]>> Yeah, I know. You know, I've heard about how this has kind of it was eradicated and now it's just kind of moved up. It's gotten closer and closer to the United States and now it sounds like it's in the US. Can you talk a little bit about that?

[00:04:46]>> Absolutely. So Texas did ann with uh USDA announced this week of the first uh uh detection of this uh pest in the United States. So a term that we now call this as an infestation, right? So we talk about infestation and infestation zones. Um so uh the most recent detection south of the border was 25 miles south of the Mexico Texas border. with this uh finding in South Texas uh with this detection is 46 miles within Texas now. Um so uh we are aware of the one herd um it is around 600 head of cattle so a decentiz herd. It was reported in a 3-week old calf and it was an umbilical wound. Um and so this was um not necessarily surprising, right? We have been keeping a close eye on the the northward progression of this fly. USDA is uh pulling out all the stops uh to help slow down and prevent uh the additional infestation specifically. Um but it has been working northward uh northwardly uh pretty consistently, right? So um the and we can talk about the strategies that USDA um has been employing. So those strategies at the at the large global scale right is uh sterile fly uh sterile insect technique.

[00:06:10]Um so using sterile flies and sterile flies are critically important in in tamping down uh the forward progression of this of this wild pest. And so the way that technique works is the the USDA works with their partners to uh create sterile male flies. uh those flies when released into the wild will mate once uh with the female fly. The female fly will also mate once and that is an unsuccessful pairing. Um and that unsuccessful pairing helps break the new world's grooming life cycle and decreases the local population of those flies. And so currently uh the USDA Panama facility uh it's a joint venture between the USDA and the country of Panama is producing a 100 million flies a week. Um, USDA is actively investing into a Mexico facility uh with the hopes of that being in production uh in the next six months or so um to get up to another 100 additional million flies a week. And if you may have heard has USDA has also recently broken ground in a southern Texas facility. So the first domestic facility uh with the goals of that once it's at full capacity which will take some time um upwards of probably two years to get to that full production. uh of producing 300 million flies a week. Uh so the goal is to get a half a billion flies uh produced because this is uh kind of at that holistic level one of the main tools we have in our toolbox. Uh not the only tool but one of the main tools we have in our toolbox to um get ahead of the fly um and then really work to push it back south um and ultimate goal of getting it back to the uh back to Panama. The reason Panama, we talk about Panama, if you look at Central America, that's the most narrowest part as the Panameanian ismas there. Um, so it's the shortest uh shortest amount of uh land between uh that uh on from each border there. And so that's uh generally thought to be the easiest place to defend, right? And to and to form a biological barrier of sterile flies if we can get it back down to Panama.

[00:08:16]>> Thank you. So, when we talk about Texas, sounds like one herd right now. Is there a short-term risk that it spreads throughout Texas and then kind of getting into how does it get to Indiana?

[00:08:30]>> Yeah. So, so I'd say short-term risk for Indiana is low but not zero. Uh the short short-term risk for additional cases in Texas is a real possibility.

[00:08:41]Right. So, uh, the fly has is going to move via two primary methods, right? One is going to be, um, a a local migration movement of the fly. Um, the fly has a pretty decent, uh, home range in which it it continues to kind of fly around and looking for its next food source.

[00:09:00]Uh, so we wouldn't so we would anticipate to some extent some movement right there in that local proximity. Um, but it's not hundreds of thousands, you know, hundreds or thousands of miles. um it's more in the tens of miles uh movement. So the the real risk to Indiana is actually the movement of an animal uh that has an impacted wound um that has the pupa form already in it that then can complete their life cycle in Indiana uh and you know lead to the flies being uh present in the state. So to date we have not had that detection in Indiana. We don't anticipate having that detection, but we ultimately want producers to be prepared and vigilant, especially on animals that are moving.

[00:09:41]Uh that's our highest priority, the movement of animals um in and around Texas. It might not even be directly from Texas. And I will say Texas has put restrictions in place around this infested herd, right? So the the response is an infestation zone um that then puts limitations on the movement of livestock. Generally making sure that they are inspected prior to movement to make sure there's no obvious wounds as well as ensuring that they are treated before they're moving uh as an additional uh uh layer to uh you know make sure we're not inadvertently moving this pest uh further than uh the natural cause would be. Yeah, >> I'm very familiar with aven flu and how boa has, you know, handled um that disease um with our control zones and our quarantine zones. I'm assuming that would be similar. If it did get to Indiana, we would have some type of movement restriction.

[00:10:36]>> Yeah. So uh our BOA team is actively uh you know participating in the national um calls uh the state veterinarians and the United States animal health association as well as the national assembly of state animal health officials in better understanding what is occurring boots on the ground in Texas so we can really uh take you know their real world experiences since many of us don't have that experience uh and and really work towards you know what an Indiana solution would look like in that uh in the case that we would have a detection. And so we we are quite familiar USDA has a new world schoolworm playbook um which the goal for that playbook is to try to standardize the states as much as possible with the understanding that states have to have different um priorities um and they have to balance them that make sense to that each individual state. However, we are all operating uh with a common framework and so a initial response efforts in Indiana would look pretty consistent with that national framework in the USDA playbook.

[00:11:43]>> Yeah. Shifting over to you, Brian, you know, what are you telling producers if someone's concerned about New World screworm? Um what should they be watching for? How can they prevent it?

[00:11:54]>> I mean the first thing we'll say is um the most important thing you can put on your animals is your eyes. Be out there.

[00:12:00]be vigilant. Um, check over those animals. If you've got open wounds, if you see an an animal with an open wound, make sure you get it in and check it out. Um, you know, if you happen to see something in that wound, call your vet.

[00:12:12]The other thing that we think is really important is to maintain a good relationship with your vet. Um, your vet's going to be critical in in this process. And so, those are the the two big things right now is be vigilant, particularly if you've got animals moving. Um, and especially if you're moving from the southern part of the country or making a trip to junior nationals, um, you know, those kind of things, when you get home, make sure you go over those animals really well. Um, and and just be be vigilant is is the biggest thing right now.

[00:12:42]>> Thanks, Brian. If a producer notices something a little suspicious, um, what are their next steps?

[00:12:50]>> The first thing I would do is call your vet. Um, they're going to kind of be the lead lead on this. If you happen to see some some larae in that wound, if you can get get those an get those larae collected in a jar and get those to your vet, they're able to analyze what's going on. Um, so and there are some treatments out there that that have been approved um that that can help if we do happen to have something. I think we're in a better better position now than we were. I mean, originally the the um the model showed this thing getting here in 25 and it didn't make it here in 25.

[00:13:26]It's been we've had almost 18 months to prepare to build that that framework that Dr. Shipman talked about um and get ready for this. So, I think we're way better prepared now than we would have been a year ago at this time. Um it's certainly a huge concern, but I think we're um you know, better prepared to handle it this time.

[00:13:46]>> Yeah. Thank you both for your time today. Is there anything else you'd like to share uh about New World Screworm?

[00:13:53]>> Yeah, really just want to reiterate if you see something, say something. Your vet is is is your partner in this and so please don't hesitate to reach out. We are standing up resources as well for the veterinarians uh to report any suspicious uh uh larvae or or flies directly to us as well so we can work them up. We our job collectively is easier if we can work uh with campfires versus forest fires. So call early. We it is quite literally our job and we will work with you and your veterinarian uh through that process and and we really see uh you know our our producers across the state as our first line of defense.

[00:14:34]>> The only other thing I will add is I know Board of Animal Health has a spot on their website that they have the most recent updates about screworm. We've also added some links to our website to additional information, um, some producer um, resources if you've got questions, some kind of a little bit about how to talk about it with consumers. You know, the one thing we want to stress is this is an animal health issue. It is not a food safety issue. Um, the food safety inspection service will is there to help make sure that this doesn't become a food issue um, food safety issue. Um, so those are the the big like key takeaways I guess I have is make sure you're getting the most up-to-date information we'll share with you and uh be vigilant.

[00:15:16]>> Yeah. And and to that same point, as rumors run wild, please go to screwworm.gov. screwworm.gov does have a dashboard that shows confirmed cases um on it. So we we know word gets out quickly. We know that social media can run rampant. If you aren't sure before you help contribute to spread a a false narrative, please go to schoolroom.gov uh to confirm what that dashboard says.

[00:15:40]And if there's additional questions, please feel free to reach out to any of us here.

[00:15:44]>> Absolutely.

[00:15:45]>> Thank you both for your time. We really appreciate the education and the time to chat with you about this. Um as always, Farm Bureau members and um anybody really if you've got questions, don't hesitate to reach out to myself um in the public policy team at Indiana Farm Bureau or Brian um and Dr. shipment as well.