Another Screwworm Case Reported In Mexico

Another case of New World Screwworm has been discovered in Mexico, and this time it’s on the U.S. border.

Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry said the case, which is the 2nd confirmed case in roughly two weeks, was found in Nuevo Leon.  The infected calf came from the southern part of Mexico and was intercepted just south of Monterrey.  None of the other 84 animals in the shipment were found to be infected with the flesh-eating parasite.

Mexican officials said the screwworm larvae in the detected case were all found dead or dying as a result of the mandatory treatments, including the antiparasitic Ivermectin.

“The condition in which the larvae arrived makes them unviable for reproduction, demonstrating the effectiveness of the inspection protocols at origin and destination applied to mitigate the risk of screwworm spreading,” the ministry said in a statement about the most recent case.

The outbreak has prompted the U.S. government to keep its border mostly closed to Mexican cattle imports.

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