The return of the screwworm puts the Mexican livestock sector in check: We cannot sell our calves

The Cochliomya hominivorax fly has put the livestock sector in Mexico and Central America in check. The insect is the cause of the screwworm plague, a parasite that feeds on the living tissue of any warm-blooded animal - including humans - although it mainly affects cattle. When it comes into contact with the wound, the larvae cause a parasitic disease called myiasis that can be fatal and that has left millions in losses and threatens the food security of several countries. Although the nightmare of the screwworm was considered eliminated since the late 90s in Central America and Mexico, illegal livestock farming and strong migratory flows have mobilized the plague again, putting detection, control and emergency systems to the test at a regional level. In the last year, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala set off the alarm with more than 40,000 cases detected, although the specialists consulted by this newspaper consider that there could be many more. At the end ...