The New World Screwworm is a parasitic fly that lays eggs in open wounds. Then, it's larvae feed on the host's flesh, causing gruesome injuries to cows and other animals and spreading rapidly among livestock.
Arkansas has no confirmed cases of screwworm in cattle as of June 25. The state is looking to keep it that way, despite a rising number of cases in neighboring Texas.
To prevent the spread of the parasitic fly, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture now requires cattle traveling from infested areas in Texas be checked and certified by a veterinarian seven days before entering the state.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Screwworm Confirmed Detections reported 22 active screwworm cases on June 25, all in Texas.
The screwworm has spread north through Mexico over the past two years. Earlier this month, the first U.S. case of the screwworm since the 1960s was found in Texas. The USDA confirmed the first case in New Mexico days later.
The USDA hopes to control the outbreak by releasing sterile flies treated with radiation. This can prevent female flies, who only mate once, from reproducing.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the current efforts aren’t enough.
“You just have to overwhelm them. They don’t have the numbers. It’ll work if you’ve got the numbers. But they’re releasing a hundred-million a week. They need about 600 million a week," Miller said. "They don’t have them. They’re not going to have them for about three to three and a half years.”
Miller said waiting years to combat a fast-spreading pest isn’t an option.
According to the USDA's website, the agency “is investing significantly to renovate existing and construct new facilities in the U.S. and Mexico to stop the spread of screwworm.”
Screwworm won't have an effect on beef consumers, as infected cattle won’t be processed, according to the Arkansas Cattlemen's Association.
