U.S. halts cattle imports from Mexico, citing fears of flesh-eating maggot

The New World screwworm is endemic successful parts of Latin America and the Caribbean — and its northward dispersed into Mexico has alarmed U.S. officials. USDA hide caption

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USDA

Concerns implicit a flesh-eating parasite person led U.S. officials to halt each imports of unrecorded cattle, horses and bison crossed the Southern border. 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made the decision connected Sunday, citing the northward dispersed of the New World screwworm, which has been detected successful confederate Mexico successful the past year. 

"The extortion of our animals and information of our nation's nutrient proviso is simply a nationalist information contented of the utmost importance," Rollins said successful a statement.

"This is not astir authorities oregon punishment of Mexico, alternatively it is astir nutrient and carnal safety," she said. 

New World screwworms are alert larvae that burrow into a coiled oregon mucous membranes of animals and rarely humans. 

The maggots feast connected the soma and humor of their big with tiny rima hooks. Left untreated, the parasitic corruption tin termination a full-grown cattle wrong 1 to 2 weeks. 

Efforts to get escaped of the pest spell backmost galore decades. 

In fact, the U.S and Mexico were capable to eradicate the New World screwworm successful the 1960s and '70s by releasing hundreds of millions of sterile big flies that would mate with the females — yet preventing them from laying viable eggs. 

This strategy helped create a "barrier zone" that kept the pest from encroaching into the U.S. and Mexico, though cases would inactive popular up from clip to time.

In 1976, an outbreak successful Texas affected much than 1.4 cardinal cattle and hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats. If specified an outbreak were to hap now, it's estimated that would outgo the Texas system $1.8 billion, according to a USDA analysis.

The imaginable fallout is wherefore cultivation officials are truthful alarmed that the pest has made a comeback successful the past fewer years. 

Cases person surged successful parts of Central America and are present being detected successful immoderate "remote farms" successful Mexico astir 700 miles from the U.S border, the USDA said connected Sunday.

As a result, the U.S. unopen down unrecorded carnal commercialized connected the borderline successful November. That was lifted successful February aft the U.S and Mexico agreed connected caller measures to support the parasite astatine bay.  

The caller prohibition volition proceed connected a "month-by-month basis, until a important model of containment is achieved," according to the USDA.