WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Florida has enacted emergency rules to block the flesh-eating screwworm from entering the state after the parasite was detected in Texas.<\/p>\n
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services<\/a> said Friday it will not accept warm-blooded animals from infested areas through June 10. After that, shipments must have a state-issued certificate of veterinary inspection within two days of arrival and a veterinary exam within five days.<\/p>\n Animals from high-risk areas without proper documentation will be quarantined, and the supplier will be fined. Shipments from infested zones will be turned away at the border.<\/p>\n The screwworm is a parasitic fly that lays eggs in wounds and feeds on living tissue, according to the CDC<\/a>. It was eradicated in the U.S. in 1966, aside from a small Florida Keys outbreak<\/a> in 2017. The Texas case marks the first confirmed U.S. detection in years after a northward spread from Central America through Mexico.<\/p>\n See also: Stuart unveils massive mural to promote Ecosystem Awareness<\/a><\/p>\n