The federal government is ramping up efforts in Texas to combat the spread of New World Screwworm, a pest that could devastate the cattle and wildlife industries in Texas and the nation.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a slew of new initiatives and investments to monitor and prevent the spread of screwworm, which is traveling north through Mexico and was detected about 370 miles south of the U.S./Mexico border in July.
Screwworms are parasitic flies that lay larvae in open wounds of live, warm-blooded animals, causing them serious harm and, potentially, death.
It’s wild how different this response is to the US’ response to COVID and other infectious diseases in humans
Cattle are worth more…
We don’t eat people so we’re useless to each other… Similarly, I’m Vegan so I hope the cows are OK.
Why am I so surprised when I read about some part of the government still being functional?
Good thing we stopped doing it in Panama where the bottleneck could be kept at only a couple kilometers of land and for a fraction of the cost.Good thing we stopped doing it in Panama
Where did you get that idea? Even the article we are commenting on talks about the factory in Panama still operating.
Furthermore, it’s quite reasonable for something that affects the southern US (screw worm infestation) to be handled in the southern US (sterile screw worm factory in Texas).
You’re right, I was mislead by other information. My bad.
You’re right about the factory, as far as I know, but I think stopping the screw worms in Mexico or further south is a much better idea. Stopping them in the USA means that you will always have cases in the USA.
The sterile fly method isn’t a solid barrier. It just increases the odds that a female will mate with a sterile male rather than a fertile one. That means some females will still reproduce if they mate with a fertile male and cause screw worm infections in cattle, people, or wildlife in the region. You want to stop the flies before they get here otherwise you will continue to have occasional outbreaks here.
I’m hoping at some point we could get South America on board, massively increase funding, and eradicate screw worms as a species. The firewall in Panama is certainly the best point of attack short of that goal.
That would be great for society but in the meantime take advantage of geography. Holding the line in Panama is far cheaper than the much larger land area of the us, plus other countries also get the benefit.
I didn’t read far enough to see if Mexico especially joined in the battle but would certainly be ok with just the us. We save money at the cost of helping others?
Edit: dammit, affecting people? Let’s get this shit done
Ah yes, the “efficiency” cuts of doge. The money to fix this should come out of Musk’s accounts.
Exactly, it was a massive loss of profit for the private sector
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Kurzgesagt did a video on sterile screw worm factories recently. If you would like to know more, check his video out: How Nuclear Flies Protect You from Flesh-Eating Parasites
Yeah that is going to go well…
Anyone ever heard about that Rabbit Proof Fence those cats down under tried?
Breeding sterile screw worms has done wonders to combat the infestation in North America for decades. It also completely eliminated the infestation in Africa as well. It’s a fucking amazing idea that works.
I wish they would ramp up the production for mosquitoes.
It’s gone well for decades. I am unsure what caused this lapse but screw worms have been held back from North and central America since the fifties.
Which isn’t saying people currently in charge can do as well.
I am unsure what caused this lapse
But that doesn’t really claim it caused the lapse, just that we no longer have enough functioning government to organize a response
Beyond cuts to funding, an article a few months ago mentioned cattle smuggling into Mexico from further south bringing the larva with them.
Here is a current article that discusses cattle smuggling as the problem.
He runs his hands under their hooves, feeling for wounds through which the deadly screwworm, opens new tab parasite could burrow inside their bodies. Efforts to protect his herd can only go so far, he says, until Mexico’s government steps up to tackle what he considers the core issue: illegal livestock moving unchecked across the border from Central America.
Maggots from screwworm flies burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing serious damage. While it can often be fatal, infected animals can be treated by removing larvae and applying medications, if it is detected early enough.
The infestation, which began in November, has now claimed its first human casualty: an 86-year-old woman with advanced cancer and complications from a screwworm infection who died in the state of Campeche in late July. While infections are rarer (and treatable) in humans, Mexico confirmed more than 30 cases in people in the last week of July.
“From Guatemala there is indiscriminate passage of stolen cattle, sick cattle. There is no health control,” Herrera told Reuters. “We, the producers, are the ones who suffer.”
Estimates cited by Mexican authorities in 2022 and others by sector experts indicate the number of illegal cattle crossing into Mexico is at least 800,000 per year.
