New World Screwworm, a serious cattle pest, is now just 25 miles from the U.S. border as Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said “this is the closest we’ve seen it.”
Rollins held a press call Tuesday afternoon. She said there’s “a lot of misinformation” on new world screwworm and she now plans to do a press call every other day to provide updates.
She said there are eight new cases in Mexico, including one in an animal 25 miles from Texas. Rollins said USDA has not been caught off guard and has been ramping up efforts for more than a year.
She refuted a report that New World Screwworm was just a mile from the border.
“A couple of days ago, we had a very well-intentioned state legislator from Texas who posted on his social media, New World screwworm has been confirmed one mile from the Texas border. And when that false information gets out, it causes significant panic,” she said.
Rollins said if the southern border is breached, USDA “will immediately put in place quarantines” and limit cattle movement to limit the pests’ spread.
“We will initiate additional trapping and surveillance in the immediate area. We will release sterile New World screwworm flies in the area to eliminate any reproducing New World screwworm populations,” she said.
She said the ag department continues to update its NWS playbook.
“We are ready,” Rollins said, whether it’s a live fly, an infection in wildlife, or found in cattle. Rollins said the USDA is leading a robust response and it will not be like the crisis of the 1960s. “We will not rest until the new world screwworm is eliminated once and for all,” she said.
New World screwworm (NWS) is a devastating pest. It can cause serious, often deadly damage to animals and people in areas where the pest spreads.
While NWS is present in parts of South America—where infections in animals and people continue to occur—it was eradicated from the United States decades ago. In recent years, NWS has moved northward through Central America and Mexico.
Officials emphasized it is not a worm but a fly and that sterile fly production has increased to help control the fly population. It is not contagious and does not spread from animal to animal or person to person.
USDA encourages people to check screwworm.gov for the latest updates.