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

According to government data, Mexico has seen a 53 percent increase in animal cases of flesh-eating screwworm over the past month as it continues to travel north toward the US border.

According to Mexican government data, there were 5, 086 cases as of August 17, including 649 active ones, according to a report released on Thursday, citing newly updated information that hasn’t been made public.

According to the news outlet, the parasite has been found primarily in cattle as well as in horses, sheep, and dogs.

Different human infections have also occurred.

According to Mexican media, the state of Chiapas has reported 41 confirmed human cases over the past year. On August 4, a patient who had traveled to El Salvador received confirmation of the first human case in the state of Maryland.

Screwworm was wiped out by Mexico and the US decades ago, but it returned in 2023 after moving north from Central America.

According to the Mexican National Agricultural Council, the infestation has caused $1.3 billion in losses to Mexican cattle exports over the past year.

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), screwworm threatens $100 billion in economic activity tied to cattle and livestock industries if left unchecked.

In warm-blooded animals, parasitic flies that lay their eggs are the source of screwworm infestations. If left untreated, the eggs hatch into larvae that can eat the host’s flesh and eat them.

Preventing future outbreaks is both challenging and difficult to treat.

To reduce the number of screw flies, the Mexican and US governments are building “sterile fly” production facilities in Chiapas and Texas.

Male flies are produced and sterilized in a large number in a sterile fly factory. These are then released to mat with wild females, which causes a decline in the wild population. In the US in the 1960s, screwworm was eradicated using this method.

According to the USDA, the two facilities and one in Panama will need to produce roughly 500 million sterile flies per week to transport screw flies back to South America, where the parasite is endangered.

Additionally, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has approved urgent veterinary medications to stop the parasite from spreading.

According to HHS, they list “animal drug products that may be approved for other purposes, or available in other countries, but not formally approved” for the screwworm.