CDC Activates Emergency Operation Center Over Screwworm Outbreak

Health officials point to that effort as evidence that aggressive containment and eradication measures can be effective when agencies work together quickly to identify and eliminate infestations, the CDC noted.

While the United States remains free of established New World screwworm populations, the parasite continues to be endemic in several countries, including Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and parts of South America.

Its continued presence in the Western Hemisphere has kept federal animal and public health officials on alert, particularly as increased travel and cross-border animal movement create opportunities for the pest to spread into previously unaffected areas, notes The Hill.

“New World screwworm (NWS) is a serious pest of livestock and wildlife,” the USDA noted on its website.

“USDA is leading a coordinated One Health response to combat NWS. This is not a food safety issue—the U.S. food supply remains safe,” the agency noted further.

“The current risk to animals and people in the United States is very low,” it said.