Screwworm found in TX, NM: What to know

[00:00:00]Are headlines about screwworm making your skin crawl? Me, too. This deadly flesh-eating parasite has reappeared in the US after being eradicated decades ago. It's bad news for the cattle industry and potentially food prices.

[00:00:13]But, unless you're a cow or work with livestock in the Southwest, you probably don't need to worry about getting infected. Screwworms were eradicated in Central and North America through an international effort in the last half of the 20th century. But, in 2023, cases popped up again in Panama and the outbreak has been slowly moving further north ever since. Scientists previously eradicated screwworm by releasing sterilized male flies that mate with the females. But, over the past 3 years, this outbreak has evaded public health officials' attempts to contain it. On June 3rd, the USDA announced it had found a screwworm case in a 3-week-old calf in La Pryor, Texas, near the southern border. As of June 8th, four more cases had been identified in Texas and New Mexico. The adult screwworm is actually a fly, but it's most dangerous in its larval stage. Flies lay their eggs in the fresh wounds or orifices of warm-blooded animals. The eggs hatch and become larva, which, gross warning, burrow into the skin and eat the flesh.

[00:01:12]After about a week, the worms fall out, crawl into the ground, and mature into flies themselves. Left untreated, the worms can seriously damage tissue and even result in death. Pets or humans can contract screwworm, but humans have made up less than 1% of cases in this current Central and North American outbreak. It mostly affects livestock. 86% of all the cases in this current outbreak have been in cows. You can't catch screwworm from someone who has it. You can only get it if you're in a region where the flies are present and one lays its eggs in you. If you're traveling to or live in such a region, you're most at risk if you have open wounds, sleep outside, or are around livestock. Covering up wounds can help prevent infection. Don't forget to keep an eye on your pets as well. One of the current US infections is in a dog. In the US, the risk of infection for the general public is low, but a wider outbreak of screwworm among US cattle herds could harm the industry, our food supply, and grocery store prices. Another headline keeping you up at night? Tag us in the comments.