one A Maryland patient was diagnosed in August by the New World Scretn after traveling to El Salvador. Doctors and veterinarians say the case has very low risk to human health in the United States, but after the rise in cases in South and Central America and the Caribbean in recent years. It also highlights the importance of international cooperation in research and prevention.
For decades, the fight against screwworms has been a successful story of scientific innovation and collaboration with other countries. In the first half of the 20th century, a devastating outbreak of the American parasites until an ambitious plan pushed it southward towards Panama.
But now, this progress is under threat and the recovery is almost reported to the U.S. border. Recent budget cuts to scientific research and foreign aid could further jeopardize the battle with screwworms.
New World Screwworm “proves important potential for public health emergencies that may affect national security” Announce August 18.
The emergency statement paves the way for seeing whether existing antiparasitic drugs such as ivermectin try to control screwworms between animals.
There are no other established methods, such as vaccines or drugs, to address screwworm infestations, and the HHS announcement does not apply to antiparasitic drugs targeting humans.
The Maryland screwworm shell was diagnosed before the insect matured, meaning there was little chance of continuing to spread.
“It’s not a transient infestation,” said Heather Walden, associate professor of parasitology at the University of Florida’s School of Veterinary Medicine. “It takes time — it’s not like bacteria or rapidly spreading viruses.”
Among people in South and Central America and in the Caribbean endemic areas, “there are only a few hundred of these countries, so this is not something that spreads quickly to humanity.” podcast.
“It’s really about protecting livestock,” FDA chief Marty Makary added in the podcast.
“I had to learn a lot,” Makari said of the screwworm. “First of all, it looks disgusting.”
Patrick Hikey, a tropical medicine expert at the Department of Pediatrics at Uniform Services University, said rare cases like this can be “like a sentinel case”, indicating that patients have obtained the case.
“Of course, this may not be a threat to the larger public, or it may not be a major threat to the agricultural industry. But the bigger question is, what is happening at the border now?
Female flies lay eggs in wounds of any warm-blooded animal. After the eggs hatch, hundreds of screwworm larvae dig into live meat with sharp mouths, and if untreated, eventually killing their host.
The New World Screwworm, which affects humans and animals, was once popular throughout much of the United States and had a huge economic resonance for the livestock industry.
But in the 1950s, scientists accomplish Hickey said they could expose flying eggs to low doses of radiation and make them sterile – “a truly elegant technology.”
Female flies usually have only one companion, and encountering a sterile male means that the eggs are not fertilized and the population of screwworms begins to decline.
The more successful the sterile plan, the further the distance you go south, and eventually moved to the Darien Gorge, which separates Panama from South America. There is a Long-term work Use screwworm breeding facilities in Panama to control flies.
Hickey said this experience demonstrates the importance of international cooperation in research, monitoring and prevention.
Walden noted that the United States “works very closely with other countries to try to mitigate the spread of New World Screwworms to keep it away from the United States and elsewhere, which is something we have been doing for decades.”
However, around 2022, the screwworms began to crawl north again, probably with the help of cross-border livestock trade. Makari said that over the past three years, about 89,000 cases have been found in animals in Central America.
Now, “a few hundred miles south of the United States,” Sher said. “It can invade animals and come to the United States and cause serious economic damage to our livestock production, especially in Texas, where cattle herds are large – very vulnerable.”
Officials are also worried that wildlife will bring parasites to the border. The deer in Florida Keys in 2016 infestation only creates heels as sterile flies are released.
However, some global plans to fight with screwworms are cut In recent months, the Trump administration, as well as scientific research and international coordination, has been shocked.
Faced with rising cases, USDA Announce In June, it will reopen a Texas-based sterile fly breeding facility, followed by $850 million plan Fight with screwworms in August.
The U.S. is also expanding its monitoring program to capture flies, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is continuing to inspect cattle livestock.
“Government officials are surveillance along the border, cattle and any other livestock that may cross the border,” Walden said. “It’s always on radar if you want – something that’s always looking for, like many other pathogens we’re trying to keep it away from the United States.”
Schell said the USDA is closely inspecting animals intended to be slaughtered to ensure they are not invasive.
“It has never been reported that anyone would have contracted screwworms from eating beef”.
HHS’s emergency statement will enable regulators to evaluate existing animal medicines and see if they are suitable for emergency use authorizations, Schell said: “It will allow us to speed up the process to get the information we essentially need to try to bring the product to market as soon as possible.”
“We do not currently have any approvals for screwworms, but we do have some remedies that we think can work,” he added. A key area will be the time it takes to take before animals treated with antiparasitic drugs may enter the food supply.
However, it is unclear whether Hickey can be used as a treatment for regular prevention: “Is this a strategy, especially one that is done on a large scale on an agricultural basis?”
He said the fight with screwworms emphasizes the links with public health – between humans and animals, between doctors, veterinarians and entomologists, between local and federal agencies, and between states.
“Everyone has a slightly different story about how to implement control and prevention,” Hickey said.
Health & Wellness Contributor
A wellness enthusiast and certified nutrition advisor, Meera covers everything from healthy living tips to medical breakthroughs. Her articles aim to inform and inspire readers to live better every day.
