The Fall and Rise of Screwworm
The screwworm, a destructive flesh-eating parasite, has reappeared in the United States after decades of successful eradication efforts. Agricultural agencies are currently working to contain the infestation using the sterile male technique.
Why it matters
The re-emergence of this parasite poses a significant threat to livestock and wildlife, potentially impacting food security and agricultural economies.
99 4 7 Share Every spring, as sure as the seasons, and for generations unknown, screwworms began their annual march northward from their overwintering sanctuaries in Mexico and South Texas. Pushed by an unknown force as inexorable as gravity, screwworms moved north — ever moving, ever spreading, ever multiplying, ever destroying. No army ever advanced any more surely or methodically. No army was ever more destructive. Attacking, killing, maiming, and destroying, screwworms literally ate their way north. Reaching upper South Texas, they fanned east and west - all the while moving north - dotting the countryside with the dead carcasses of hapless wildlife, cattle, sheep, and goats, filling the “wormy” pens of farmers and ranchers. - C.G. Scruggs, The Origin of the Screwworm Control Problem
The article provides a factual, historical, and scientific account of a biological issue without political framing.
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