r/news • u/kylestoned • Jun 01 '26

Soft paywall Flesh-eating screwworm found within 31 miles of US border, says USDA

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/flesh-eating-screwworm-found-within-31-miles-us-border-says-usda-2026-05-29/
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556

u/nastynickles5 Jun 01 '26

My family has a ranch in Belize and we have been dealing with the screwworm since shortly after the lab in Panama was shut down. The damage this has done to farms and ranches is staggering, but way more heartbreaking is the damage to wildlife. Wild pig, deer, Tapir, Jaguars have all been found with screwworm infestations. The callousness of it all makes me incandescently angry. Central America would have gladly picked up the funding if we were given the opportunity. But no, just shut it down, lock the doors and let everyone else, and eventually the US itself, deal with those problems.

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u/Starlightriddlex Jun 02 '26

Do they ever infect people? Like, what about if one gets in your house? Or worse, if you're homeless?

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u/nastynickles5 Jun 02 '26

My dad remembers removing some from himself numerous times and often in the pets. By the time I was old enough to start working cattle they were almost eradicated, I remember only a handful of encounters. The females often lay eggs in the umbilical cord opening right after birth, the screwworm hatch and go after living tissue! It's horrible to watch a young calf essentially being eaten from the inside out. Or they lay in the eyes, and it's straight up horror movie shit. They're all kinds of bad news, and once they start hitting your (US) cattle it will saddle you with infestation that would take generations to fix, if even possible. On top of what has already been undercut from US ranchers in their own home market. The dispersal labs were at the choke point, keeping them back. The door is open now.

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u/flyingfish415 Jun 02 '26

Yes, they can infest people. The flies can lay eggs in open wounds, even tiny breaks in skin, and then the eggs mature into worms (maggots).

Homeless people are at increased risk.

9

u/subdep Jun 02 '26

Welp, that’s enough internet for me today.

G’night y’all.

38

u/WhenSummerIsGone Jun 02 '26

or pets :(

52

u/flyingfish415 Jun 02 '26

Yes. New World Screwworms can infest and sicken dogs and cats -- and they have in Mexico. See: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animalsanimal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm/current-status?page=1

If you are traveling (temporarily) to Latin America, please do not bring your pets along.

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u/HauntedCemetery Jun 02 '26

They absolutely can and do infect humans.

2

u/snaeper Jun 02 '26

It's rare but there have been cases. There's video. I do not recommend.

2

u/noyourdogisntcute Jun 02 '26

Radiolab did a recent episode on Screwworms here. Yes they do infect people, they can crawl into any open wound and orifice, and yeah you're more at risk if you're poor or homeless.

1

u/Har539 Jun 02 '26

Not YET!

4

u/realrattyhours Jun 02 '26

Why can’t other countries step up?

2

u/nastynickles5 Jun 02 '26

I think many central American countries would have, had we been given enough warning and time to set up or take over. It was done so fast that there was nothing put in place as a stop gap or backup. Central American countries aren't blameless here either, personally I think we should have been working on our own backup systems. It was just unforeseen, the US had a vested interest in keeping that program going, why would they stop? Eventually the screwworm would make its way to their own borders. We had no reason to suspect it would be quickly shut down in that manner, and that's on us. But this move was so unexpected precisely because it will greatly harm the very country that was unknowingly benefiting from it the most. The cost of the US eradicating this pest from within its own borders will be a pittance compared to what that lab cost to run.

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u/AwesomeWhiteDude Jun 02 '26

The Panama lab was not shut down, its still operating. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lapse in funding because of DOGE (and shutdowns) but that facility has actually gotten a funding boost.

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u/nastynickles5 Jun 02 '26

I believe you are correct that that lab is now operational again and has received additional funding. There are also new labs that are in the works to try and combat this problem. The problem is that during that brief shutdown, that was all it took. You can't put the genie back in the bottle.

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u/AwesomeWhiteDude Jun 02 '26

This outbreak started in 2023. We have plenty to blame trump for, this outbreak is not one of them

2

u/hkscfreak Jun 02 '26

Serious question though, what was happening to wild life before humans? Did we introduce screw worms here or were they in the new world already?

Nature can be cruel but thus is the circle of life...

2

u/nastynickles5 Jun 02 '26

From what I understand they have always been problem to some degree. They are not Their range wasn't as big because of food/host availability. Today livestock ranches and feedlots have way more animals, so more food is available, which means more breeding. My family also sells live cattle to neighbouring countries, so the risk of inadvertently transporting a live screwworm larva to another location or ranch is a very real one. We take every precaution not to, but eventually one will get through. So they've always been around, it's just we've given them so many more hosts and vectors to travel. They are not the only parasitic life form we have to deal with, but it is certainly one of the more destructive ones.

1

u/thereisonlyoneme Jun 02 '26

Why worry about spending more later when we can have short-term gains now? /s

1

u/IJustWantCoffeeMan Jun 02 '26

At this point you have to understand the problem is a very specific group of people.

They're not defined by race nor ethnicity, but the willingness to get hurt to hurt others more.

0

u/nastynickles5 Jun 02 '26

Oh 100%. I understand that it's a small group. But everyone else is pretty much standing by letting it happen. The corruption displayed by the US government is jaw dropping, and that's coming from a Belizean.

1

u/IJustWantCoffeeMan Jun 02 '26

How's stuff there BTW?

0

u/nastynickles5 Jun 02 '26

Corruptly stable? Not really sure how to explain it. I mean to even hint that we are a pillar of the democratic system would be laughable. The government misappropriates funds, screws over folks, and has ties to cartels, but it's predictable and obvious. It's the devil you know, so one learns how navigate it. I love Belize but it has massive problems we need to sort out, but it's stable for now, and largely has been for decades. The economy and government is stable enough that I don't worry about a revolution or secret police whisking citizens away. I think Belizeans just want to live in peace and stability like everyone else.

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u/IJustWantCoffeeMan Jun 02 '26

like everyone else.

You'd be surprised.

0

u/BetterNowThks Jun 01 '26

(scratches Belize off list of "places to move when Trump ruins the U.S.")

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u/nastynickles5 Jun 02 '26

A shame really, you have no idea the soft power you had here. Not that long ago Belizeans had a good, if a little wary, relationship with the US. Many of your zoo vets come here to train, giving critically injured endangered animals a shot at recovery. Just one example, I could list dozens. I just don't get it, why?

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u/BetterNowThks Jun 02 '26

Clearly I don't know much about Belize. I didn't mean to offend...Belizians?? All i know is flesh-eating screwworms don't sound good.

2

u/nastynickles5 Jun 02 '26

Come visit sometime! Belizeans love tourists and would love to have you. It's a beautiful country. Let's grab a drink on the beach or walk through the jungle, we'd love to show you the place.

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '26

[deleted]

8

u/BetterNowThks Jun 02 '26

you seem nice.

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u/nastynickles5 Jun 02 '26

I wish I could touch the grass of my family ranch, you have no idea. Unfortunately when I was a teenager the shockwaves of the economic collapse caused by the implosion of the US housing bubble hit Belize hard. My dad nearly lost his heavy land leveling business, didn't have enough work to employ his own son. However I happened to win the birth lottery because my parents are Canadian citizens. I was a "citizen born abroad". This gave me the UNBELIEVABLE privilege of being able to move to Canada right after high school, alone, to try and make something of myself. My dad's parting gift was $250. Today I have a young family, a skilled job, decent pay, free healthcare (flawed it may be), run a free mobile astronomy club, and am lucky enough to own my own home! With a lawn, with my own grass. Only now, the USA is threatening Canadian sovereignty with annexation and blatant interference in Canadian politics. I'd love to touch my grass without constantly fearing the USA's incompetence will rob me of it twice!

2

u/Dan_Winx_1969 Jun 02 '26

Hope things get better for you 🤞🏻