The 'Wall' That Keeps Flesh-Eating Worms Out of America

6 hours ago

The New World screwworm, a parasite thought eradicated from the U.S., reappeared in the Florida Keys in 2016, affecting deer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a decades-long effort to eradicate screwworms, using sterile insect technique (SIT) developed by Edward F. Knipling and Raymond Bushland.
Sterile male screwworms are produced in a Panama facility and released weekly along the Panama-Colombia border to maintain a barrier against reinfestation.
The eradication program, managed by COPEG (a U.S.-Panama joint commission), involves constant monitoring, inspection, and collaboration across Central America.
Screwworms once caused significant livestock losses and shaped cowboy culture, but eradication has led to increased wildlife populations, such as deer, in North America.
The program costs $15 million annually but saves U.S. farmers an estimated $1.3 billion per year, highlighting its economic and ecological benefits.
Efforts to expand eradication to South America face financial and diplomatic challenges, while containment relies on both science and political cooperation.
Cuba remains a potential source of screwworm outbreaks due to historical lack of eradication efforts, though recent diplomatic tensions have hindered collaboration.
The sterile-insect technique has inspired similar programs for other pests, but screwworm eradication remains the most extensive and successful example.

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