By Chad Adams
The New World Screwworm. I’m pretty sure I had that shot down in Ol’ Mexico one night. Pound that Mezcal back, eat the worm, then it gets fuzzy and I think I blacked out from there. No, wait a minute …
Instead, Safari Club International (SCI) and the Mexican Federation of Shooting and Hunting (FEMETI) recently issued a warning to hunters on both sides of the border. It calls for hunters to remain aware for signs of New World Screwworm infection in any wild game harvested this hunting season. The warning turns even more dire — take action immediately to stop its spread.
New World Screwworm Threat
New World Screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) infects the host as a flesh-eating parasite. Adult Screwworm flies infect lifestock or other warm-bodied animals, including game animals such as deer. The flies lay their eggs in open wounds or around body openings such as the nose, ears or genitalia, according to SCI. Talk about really getting screwed by the screwworm.
Previously eradicated in the U.S., the Screwworm recently popped up again near the Texas border. So U.S. officials immediately began resuming a sterile-fly release program and suspended imports of cattle, bison and horses from Mexico.
So here’s the impact on hunters and agriculture. Screwworm presents an immediate and present threat to domestic livestock industries in Mexico and the U.S, according to SCI. And while identification in livestock is more easily managed, wildlife species present a more difficult task.
So Mexico’s General Directorate of Wildlife, under the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources, is working with the National Service of Health, Safety and Argo-Food Quality (SENASICA), coordinating with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), under the USDA, requesting all hunters carefully inspect harvested game animals for any signs of infection. That’s a lot of alphabet soup working in coordination — what could go wrong …
Help Protect Wildlife
If you find suspicious lesions or the presence of larvae on an animal you harvested in Mexico, immediately report it to SENASICA at 800-751-2100 or on WhatsApp 5539964462. In the U.S., contact the National Preparedness and Incident Coordination Center at fad.prep.comments@usda.gov. or your state’s Area Veterinarian in Charge.
Also, hunters are urged to carry a small container to collect larvae. They can be handled safely, as a larva by itself cannot infect you unless it is placed inside a wound. Importantly, do not allow the larvae to fall to the ground where it will borough, become pupae and emerge a fly to lay thousands of eggs and continue the cycle.
For updates on the spread of New World Screwworm, visit the websites of SENASICA and the USDA.
