USDA Confirms New World Screwworm Presence in U.S.
Bernt Nelson
Economist
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
photo credit: Maddison Stewart, Arkansas Farm Bureau; used with permission.
Bernt Nelson
Economist
Chad Smith
Associate News Service Editor, NAFB
The USDA announced the first confirmed case of New World screwworm within the U.S. border since 1966. Chad Smith has the news.
Smith: For the first time in 60 years, the U.S. has a case of New World screwworm within its borders. Bernt Nelson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the screwworm is primarily a problem for livestock producers.
Nelson: It's a parasite endemic to Cuba, Haiti, and countries in South America, that infests the flesh of warm-blooded animals. This includes livestock, pets, wildlife, and on rare occasion, birds and people. It's important to be clear that this re-emergence does not threaten the safety of the U.S. food supply.
Smith: He said USDA and Texas animal health officials have taken immediate action to contain and eradicate the New World screwworm.
Nelson: Forming a unified incident command team with the Texas Animal Health Commission, and deploying response personnel to the immediate area, they're going to establish a 20-kilometer zone around this detection and implement quarantines, movement controls, and continue surveillance targeted at this area.
Smith: It’s important to note that detection and containment methods have improved since the last time the screwworm was in the U.S. Still, eradication could take significant time.
Nelson: Last time that we had this pest on U.S. soil, it took almost 40 years to eradicate it completely. We are now better equipped, more efficient technology, and we have a greater ability for surveillance. We should be able to push this back. However, this is not going to be a short-term problem.
Smith: Chad Smith, Washington.
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