Cases of flesh-eating screwworms increase 53% in Mexico: Report

Mexico reports much than 5,000 cases of screwworm, chiefly successful cattle and different animals, according to gov’t data.

Mexico has reported a 53 percent summation successful cases of flesh-eating screwworm in animals implicit the past month, arsenic the parasite continues its northward trajectory towards the United States border, according to authorities data.

Mexican authorities information bespeak that determination were 5,086 cases arsenic of August 17, including 649 progressive ones, the Reuters quality bureau reported connected Thursday, citing updated information not yet made public.

The parasite has been recovered chiefly successful cattle, arsenic good arsenic successful horses, sheep, and dogs, the quality outlet said.

There person besides been dozens of quality infections.

Mexico has confirmed 41 quality cases implicit the past year, chiefly successful the authorities of Chiapas, according to Mexican media. The archetypal quality lawsuit was confirmed successful the US authorities of Maryland connected August 4 successful a diligent who had travelled to El Salvador.

Mexico and the US eradicated screwworm decades ago, but the parasite returned astir 2023 aft moving northward from Central America.

The infestation has disrupted Mexican cattle exports, with losses valued astatine $1.3bn implicit the past year, according to the Mexican National Agricultural Council.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that near unchecked, screwworm threatens $100bn successful economical enactment linked to the cattle and livestock industries.

Screwworm infestations statesman with parasitic flies that laic their eggs successful warm-blooded animals. The eggs hatch into larvae, which burrow into the soma of their host, sidesplitting them if near untreated.

Infections are challenging to treat, and truthful is preventing aboriginal outbreaks.

The Mexican and US governments are gathering “sterile fly” accumulation facilities successful the states of Chiapas and Texas to trim the colonisation of screw flies.

A sterile alert installation produces a ample fig of antheral flies and sterilises them. These are past released to mate with females successful the wild, which reduces the chaotic colonisation implicit time. This method eradicated screwworm from the US successful the 1960s.

The 2 facilities and different successful Panama volition request to nutrient astir 500 cardinal sterile flies a week to propulsion screw flies backmost to South America, wherever the parasite is endemic, according to the USDA.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has besides approved exigency veterinary drugs to forestall the parasite from spreading.

They see “animal cause products that whitethorn beryllium approved for different purposes, oregon disposable successful different countries, but not formally approved” for the screwworm, HHS said.

“The hazard to quality wellness successful the United States remains precise low, but the imaginable aboriginal menace to carnal populations and the nutrient proviso concatenation requires proactive action,” it said.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies