Arizona Confirms Five Cases of New World Screwworm in Animals, Prompting Veterinary Alert
Arizona officials have confirmed five cases of New World screwworm in animals, including two dogs, two horses, and a sheep. These cases were identified in Cochise, Greenlee, and Graham counties, with one dog having no known travel history, according to the Arizona Department of Agriculture. The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae burrow into the living flesh of warm-blooded animals, feeding on tissue and potentially causing severe, even fatal, damage. Female flies lay eggs in open wounds, which then hatch into larvae. Dr. Mindy Bemmerl, director of veterinary medicine at the Arizona Humane Society, emphasized that even small wounds can become infested. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is actively working to control the outbreak by releasing sterile male screwworm flies, a strategy designed to reduce the fly population by preventing viable egg production.
