New World Screwworm in Texas
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Wednesday night, the USDA received official confirmation of the first case of New World Screwworm in Texas.
It’s been confirmed in the umbilical cord of an eight-week-old calf in La Pryor, Texas.
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins talked about USDA’s reaction, which is underway …
ROLLINS … “We are taking immediate action this afternoon and evening. It’s already begun to deploy, to contain, and to eradicate this case of the New World Screwworm in South Texas. We have, number one, formed a unified incident command team with the Texas Animal Health Commission and deployed our APHIS response team and personnel to the area. They are already on the ground.”
Rollins emphasized this is not a food safety issue, it’s not a disease, simply an insect that feeds on living tissues …
ROLLINS … “Once removed and cleaned, animals treated early enough, including the calf that we're talking about, the eight-week-old bovine, that calf and those animals, if they're treated early enough, will recover and are safe to enter the food supply system.”
Rollins says the New World Screwworm is primarily transmitted through animal movement, which is why producers in the area need to follow all guidelines …
ROLLINS … “This fly typically moves great distances because humans move animals, not because the fly flies to new areas. The only way this spreads is through animal movement.”
Rollins says they’ve established a 20-kilometer infested zone around the detection and are implementing quarantines, movement controls, and surveillance.
For more information, go to www.screwworm.gov.
