“When that false information comes out, it causes a lot of panic,” Rollins said Tuesday, according to the Texas Tribune. “And rightfully so, especially if it’s coming from elected officials and the media.”
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that McLaughlin suspected the fly was now here. He said samples taken Tuesday from two calves at a farm in La Pryor, Texas, were being tested as possible screwworm infections, including an infection on the umbilical wound of one calf. McLaughlin said he has seen photos and videos of the animals and that the larvae seen there resemble screwworm larvae.
Reuters was shown one of the photos, which it reported showed “numerous screwworm-like larvae inside a bloody circular wound on an animal”, but said “the photo could not be immediately verified.”
“At this point, it is unconfirmed that this is the New World screwworm,” McLaughlin told the outlet. “It seems so, but it’s unconfirmed.”
It is currently unclear whether the sample reported by USDA was one of the samples reported by McLaughlin. We will update this story if additional information is provided.
return of screwworm
Screwworms were once endemic to the United States, but were eliminated in the 1960s amid a concerted effort to eliminate their populations. This is done by aerial bombardment of infertile male flies, which is the most effective weapon against parasites. The mass release of dud studs eliminates fertile males, preventing them from mating with females, who normally mate only once.
By this method, called sterile insect technology, the flies were eliminated not only from the United States, but from all of Central America. They were declared extinct from Panama in 2006.
Until recently, screwworm populations were kept away through a biological barrier along the Darien Gap on the border of Panama and Colombia. The USDA partnered with officials in Panama to build a sterile fly production facility at the Gap to routinely release sterile flies and catch lines. But in 2022, the barrier was broken, and the flies have been buzzing steadily north ever since.
In response, the US has expanded surveillance and trapping efforts in Texas. It is also building a $750 million sterile fly production facility in South Texas. The USDA says it is currently spreading 100 million sterile insects per week across Mexico and the US-Mexico border to prevent the flies from spreading further.
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