CDC Activates Emergency Response After Six U.S. Screwworm Cases in Livestock and Pets

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activated its formal emergency response on Thursday after the Department of Agriculture confirmed at least six cases of New World screwworm in the United States. The cases include infestations in cattle and a goat in Texas and one case in a dog in New Mexico. The Department of Agriculture first reported the cases in the country last week.

The Department of Agriculture is leading the animal-side response by monitoring livestock and dispersing sterile flies. The CDC activation allows the agency to prepare for potential human exposure. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that the CDC activation is part of the Trump administration’s whole-of-government approach.

“The CDC is just one more step in the right direction that allows us to deploy more resources at the federal level,” Rollins told reporters in Texas. No human cases of screwworm infestation have been reported. Humans with open wounds or who spend time around livestock in affected areas are most at risk.

U.S. outbreak occurred between 2016 and 2017 in Florida, where a collaborative response involving federal, state, and local agencies successfully re-eradicated the flies from the state.

The screwworm remains endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and some countries in South America. Infestations are treatable, though they can cause serious wounds.