Flesh-Eating Screwworm Found in Texas Elk
Is border screwworm surveillance catching rare cases fast or is the parasite outrunning a response that's always one step behind?
Above: New World screwworm flies at a sterile screwworm fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, on June 27. Image credit: Mauricio Palos/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Facts
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it confirmed the first detection of the flesh-eating New World screwworm in U.S. wildlife, in a female elk in Pecos County, Texas. Cattle in Texas and New Mexico were infected earlier this year.
- The elk was found on a game ranch and was reported after being harvested by a hunter. The Texas Animal Health Commission will modify an existing infested zone as the USDA and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department expand surveillance in the area.
- Texas Wildlife Division director Alan Cain urged hunters and landowners to be "vigilant for signs of New World screwworm" in the field this season and said cooperation among biologists, hunters, and landowners sped up confirmation of the detection.
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The Spin
Pro-government narrative
Boots-on-the-ground surveillance along the southern border is catching rare cases fast before they become an outbreak. Hunters, ranchers and landowners reporting unusual wounds make the best early-warning system. Steady vigilance and quick reporting keep livestock, pets and wildlife safe.
Government-critical narrative
The biological barrier that once penned this parasite south has collapsed, and the flies are moving north faster than the response. Waiting for human cases before acting repeats a mistake that took decades to undo. Sterile-fly releases, wound care and animal movement controls belong at the leading edge of the spread, not behind it.