New World Screwworm Identified Within 70 Miles of United States Mexico Border

The Swine Health Information Center is encouraging U.S. livestock producers to be aware of the risks posed by New World Screwworm. Last month New World Screwworm, a parasitic fly that most often infests cattle, swine, horses, small ruminants and dogs, was confirmed in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico, less than 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Swine Health Information Center Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder says we need to consider not only movement of the fly but also the movement of infected livestock.

Quote-Dr. Megan Niederwerder-Swine Health Information Center:

The USDA has released a five-pronged approach on some of the activities that they are doing to mitigate and prevent incursion into the U.S. One of the ways is looking at how they can innovate new ways for sterile insect techniques. This has been one of the most successful aspects of the control program and that sterile flies are released in the area of the outbreak and they prevent additional reproductive capacity of the flies.

This has been very successful and a critical part of the mitigation and control strategy. There's also been significant impact on protecting the U.S. border with regards to how do we produce more sterile insects both through a production facility as well as a dispersement facility, looking at strengthening surveillance and detection, identifying a potential incursion as quickly as possible through lures and traps on the border, also focussing on public awareness and education.

It's also really important to have an international relationship with Mexico as well as Central American and South America when looking at what are the lessons to be learned for the U.S. prevention and control as well as constant communication with regards to risk.

Dr. Niederwerder notes USDA APHIS has a great website that keeps up to date on New World Screwworm, the Swine Health Information Center is tracking developments and a June webinar on New World Screwworm can be accessed through SHIC's web site at swinehealth.org.
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