As Screwworm Cases Mount, U.S. Officials Ramp Up Response

The U.S.Department of Agriculture announced three new cases of New World screwworm, including the first cases in dogs and goats, on Monday, bringing the nation’s total case count to five.

It also pledged to ramp up and expedite mitigation efforts for screwworm, a parasitic fly that the nation declared eradicated in the 1960s.At a news briefing on Monday, federal and Texas state officials said that they were using A.I.-driven technology to monitor screwworm populations, training ranchers to recognize infections in their livestock and expanding the number of facilities that produce and disperse sterile flies, which are the primary tool for managing screwworm.Officials are also considering whether to grant an emergency authorization of a new, genetically engineered strain of flies that could make sterile fly production faster and more efficient.“We prevented and eradicated this pest before,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said during the briefing.“We can do it again.”The three new cases were identified in a calf in La Salle County, Texas, a goat in Gillespie County, Texas, and a dog in Lea County, N.M.

It is not clear whether the dog acquired the parasite in the United States; although officials initially indicated that the dog may have recently been in Mexico, they later said its travel history was unknown.The agency reported the first two cases, both in calves in Zavala County, Texas, last week.Still, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins noted during the news briefing that the re-emergence of the New World screwworm was not unexpected.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....