Posted: Thursday, September 25, 2025. 5:46 pm CST.
Sterile New World Screwworm flies released by Senasica in northern Mexico near the United States border. Photo Credit: Senasica
By Rubén Morales Iglesias: 
On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, Senasica announced the release of 800,000 sterile screwworm flies in Sabinas Hidalgo, the municipality where the parasite was confirmed in an 8-month-old cow. The cow had reportedly been transported from southern Mexico, where active screwworm cases are ongoing. The release is part of a preventive strategy to halt the spread of the pest, which poses a severe threat to livestock and public health.
Nine ground-based dispersal units have been installed around the affected feedlot, and sterile fly releases will continue twice weekly for the next two months.
“This is how we protect livestock,” Senasica stated in its official post, emphasizing the urgency of the operation.
The move comes just days after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the northernmost case of the current outbreak, placing the parasite along a major highway corridor linking Monterrey to Laredo, Texas. US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins called the situation a “national security priority,” stressing that the United States will not rely on Mexico to defend its livestock industry.
The USDA has already suspended imports of cattle, bison, and horses from Mexico and unveiled a five-pronged defense plan, including:
- Construction of a sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Force Base in Edinburg, Texas
- Deployment of nearly 8,000 surveillance traps across Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico
- A $100 million investment in eradication technologies through the New World Screwworm Grand Challenge
The outbreak has also affected Belize, where the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise have reported over 500 cases, with more than half found in pets, especially dogs. Two human cases have also been confirmed in Belize.
The USDA’s report indicated the need for Mexico to fully implement the U.S.–Mexico Joint Action Plan for NWS. With coordinated efforts now underway on both sides of the border, the race is on to prevent the parasite from gaining a foothold in the United States’ livestock heartland.
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The post New World Screwworm threat spurs emergency action in Northern Mexico appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Thursday, September 25, 2025. 5:46 pm CST. Sterile New World Screwworm flies released by Senasica in northern Mexico near the United States border. Photo Credit:
The post New World Screwworm threat spurs emergency action in Northern Mexico appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.