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2 more screwworm infections found in animals hundreds of miles apart in Texas, USDA says (www.newschannel5.com)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/politics@sh.itjust.works
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Two more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed in Texas, demonstrating the difficulty of stopping the spread of a pest that could potentially devastate the nation's cattle industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday.

The screwworm is actually a fly, which produces a larva that eats live flesh instead of dead material. Females lay their eggs in open wounds of any warm-blooded animal, such as cattle, but wildlife, pets and occasionally even humans can be infested.

The USDA said the new cases were found in a calf and a dog, hundreds of miles apart in La Salle and Andrews counties. That brings the total number of confirmed cases to four. The screwworm was first discovered in a 3-week-old calf last week, and a second case was found only miles away in a young calf.

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[–] 15 points 5 months ago (5 children)

Its going to become endemic to the southern us isnt it.

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  • [–] 37 points 5 months ago (4 children)

    It was already endemic, we spent 60 years chasing it to Panama and now they’ve escaped containment.

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  • [–] 13 points 5 months ago*

    It could be eradicated again, however we have to have a functioning USDA to coordinate it.

    In March 2025, funding was cut by USDA for animal disease control and prevention, including Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, New World Screwworm, and African Swine Fever from several agencies...Specifically, funding was targeted to monitoring and responding to New World Screwworm, preventing the spread of the disease to the U.S.

    The U.S. livestock industry is facing a critical situation due to federal budget cuts that are impacting animal disease prevention and control. Hundreds of veterinarians, support staff and lab workers at the animal health arm of the USDA have left under the Trump administration’s push for resignations, according to three sources familiar with the situation, leaving fewer specialists to respond to animal disease outbreaks.

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  • [–] 16 points 5 months ago* (1 child)

    They didn't so much escape containment as the sterile fly program failed to delivery, which most people blame on Trump and DOGE.

    It's a slightly complicated issue. Ultimately, Trump's cuts are very much to blame.

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    • [–] 30 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)
    1. Set up live stream
    2. build cage
    3. add elon
    4. add screw worm
    5. profit
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    • [–] 11 points 5 months ago

    The worms are coming for RFK Jr. They need to finish the job.

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    [–] 11 points 5 months ago

    Wait until the screw worm crosses with the Ebola and we get Ebola Screwworm. RFK Jr will want to eat it.

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    [–] 6 points 5 months ago

    Have the agriculture you voted for!

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    [–] 6 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    How did the DOGE cuts affect people working on this at the federal level or with federal funding?

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  • [–] 16 points 5 months ago

    According to this article,

    The return of screwworm comes after the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, launched by the Trump administration, last year cut funding for a project dedicated to monitoring and containing New World screwworm in Central America.

    The funding was axed days before the U.S. ended a temporary suspension of cattle imports from Mexico, meaning livestock was allowed to cross the border without any of the monitoring previously funded by the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID).

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    • [–] 5 points 5 months ago

    Better get your proteins from less processed food. Get that screwworms in your belly as there's no more beef.

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    [–] 5 points 5 months ago

    Yeah, we're fucked.

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    [–] 4 points 5 months ago

    But is the dog okay?

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    [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    I always wondered where the expression "get screwed" came from as a kid.

    Nightmarish creatures.

    Also: Added, Fuck

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    [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    It'll probably take at least a year to see any results though

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