State and federal officials announced Friday that the recent screwworm infestation in South Florida has been eliminated, ending a potentially serious threat to farm livestock and warm-blooded pets.
According to a Florida Farm Bureau statement released just after lunch, a collaborative effort among several public agencies made this achievement possible. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local governments all participated.
Agency personnel began releasing sterile male flies to suppress the outbreak last year, after the pest was identified in the Florida Keys. No new screwworm finds have been reported in South Florida since Jan. 10.
In mid-January the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a dog near Homestead, 15 miles north of the Florida Keys, was found with wounds infested with the much-dreaded flesh-eating pest.
“The screwworm is a potentially devastating animal disease that sends shivers down every rancher’s spine,” Commission of Agriculture Adam Putnam said in a statement that accompanied the official declaration of agricultural emergency.
Jack Shere, USDA’s chief veterinarian, said in his Friday announcement, “Almost 430 hours of active surveillance in the Keys and 250 hours of active surveillance on the mainland have been completed” by the collaborating agencies. “Their tireless work has allowed us to eliminate New World screwworm from the United States once again.”
Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick expressed his appreciation for the agencies’ outstanding accomplishment. “I want to thank the researchers, technicians and other staff members who worked long hours every day for many weeks during this emergency,” Hoblick said.
“Their success has protected Florida’s beef cattle herd and other farm animals from a terrible onslaught of disease as well as severe losses to our farm families and our state’s economy,” he added. “I salute them for their dedication and their teamwork in eliminating what could have been a devastating outbreak.”
Screwworms are fly larvae that feed on living flesh. Infestation begins when a female fly lays eggs on a wound or an orifice of a warm-blooded animal.
A large-scale program, also led by federal and state agencies, eliminated the insect from the United States more than 50 years ago. Screwworm had previously been an endemic pest in Florida and in other Southeastern states. The source of the recent outbreak may have been an imported dog.
For more information about the 2016-2017 eradication program, visit this USDA website.
