Overview
- Screwworm populations have advanced to within 370 miles of Texas, prompting weekly aerial releases of sterile flies and planning of a new production facility in the state.
- The Texas Department of Agriculture has begun testing TDA Swormlure traps, livestock ivermectin-laced feed and a cattle vaccine designed to kill screwworm larvae.
- In June the USDA announced it will build a sterile fly factory in Texas to support aerial releases targeting northern Mexico.
- Mexican researchers are investigating gene editing techniques and evolutionary changes in screwworm populations to develop novel countermeasures.
- Resource and expertise shortages at APHIS, following workforce reductions, are straining binational coordination and production capacity for the eradication campaign.