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<\/p>\nTwo more Texas screwworm infections found in animals far apart, USDA says<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTHE MILITARY HAD REQUIRED THE SHOT SINCE THE EARLY 50S. THE THREAT FROM A NASTY PARASITE NOW INCHING, INCHING, INCHING EVER CLOSER TO THE U.S. BORDER. HEALTH OFFICIALS IN TEXAS SAY THAT THEY ARE NOW ON HIGH ALERT FOR A NEW SIGN OF THE NEW WORLD SCREW WORM. IT\u2019S TRUE. THAT\u2019S WHAT IT\u2019S CALLED. IT\u2019S CALLED SCREWWORM. TODD HAS JOINED US RIGHT HERE FROM SOUTH SHORE. SO QUESTION ONE THAT\u2019S THE FIRST TIME I\u2019VE EVER EVEN SAID THAT ON TELEVISION. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF IT. IT\u2019S AS NASTY AS IT SOUNDS. IT REALLY IS. AND WHAT\u2019S INTERESTING ABOUT IT IS IT\u2019S NOT A WORM, RIGHT? IT\u2019S A FLY LARVA. THINK OF IT LIKE FLY MAGGOTS. AND WHAT THESE CAN DO IS THEY CAN GET INTO WOUNDS, MOSTLY OF CATTLE, RIGHT? LIVESTOCK. AND THEY CAN, THEY CAN JUST THEY BURROW IN AND THEY CAN KILL THE ANIMAL THROUGH THAT. OCCASIONALLY HUMANS CAN GET INFECTED, BUT IT\u2019S MOSTLY A PROBLEM WITH CATTLE. AND IT WAS A PROBLEM IN THE, YOU KNOW, THE 30S, 40S, 50S BEFORE WE FIGURED OUT WAYS OF PREVENTING IT IN THE UNITED STATES. SO, SO YOU SAY OCCASIONALLY. SO. BUT IF SOMEONE HAS, HOW DO YOU TREAT INFECTIONS IN PEOPLE, FOR EXAMPLE? RIGHT. WELL, FIRST YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, FIGURE IT OUT. AND IF YOU SEE MAGGOTS, ESPECIALLY IN WOUNDS OR IN WOUNDS, OR IF YOU SEE IF YOU FEEL SOMETHING CRAWLING INSIDE, THEN OR HAVE A BAD ODOR, THEN YOU WANT TO GO SEEK HELP. WHAT YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO IS REMOVE THE MAGGOTS. SOMETIMES YOU NEED, YOU KNOW, SURGICAL EXCISION. JUST REMOVE THEM. SO, SO WHAT CAN HEALTH OFFICIALS DO TO TRY TO STOP THIS SCREWWORM FROM, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, TEXAS, NOW WE\u2019RE A FEW MILES AWAY FROM TEXAS. HOW DO WE PREVENT THE SPREAD UP TO HERE? OKAY, SO FIRST OF ALL, THERE HAVE BEEN NO CASES IN THE UNITED STATES IN DECADES DOMESTIC. IT WAS ONE THAT WAS IMPORTED LAST YEAR. BUT WHAT\u2019S AMAZING IS THAT SCIENTISTS, ENTOMOLOGISTS, RIGHT. THOSE ARE THE THOSE ARE INSECT SCIENTISTS. THEY FIGURED OUT MANY DECADES AGO THAT THE FEMALE SCREWWORM FLY ONLY MATES ONCE IN THEIR LIFETIME. SO IF YOU CAN SEND OUT MILLIONS OF STERILIZED MALE FLIES, THEN WHEN THEY MATE, THE. THEY CAN\u2019T REPRODUCE IN. THE POPULATION DIES. AND THAT\u2019S WHY WE HAVEN\u2019T HEARD OF CASES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR DECADES. SCRATCHING MY HEAD TO FIGURE OUT. FIRST OF ALL, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE MALE. WHAT THE MALE ONES ARE? AND SECOND OF ALL, HOW DO YOU STERILIZE THEM? RIGHT. THE WAY THAT. SO ONE SCIENTIST FIGURED OUT THE CONCEPT AND THEN DECADES LATER, THE SCIENTIST REALIZED, IF YOU IRRADIATE THE THE KIND OF THE MIDDLE AGED FORM OF THIS FLY, THEY CAN SURVIVE BUT CAN\u2019T REPRODUCE. AND THEN THEY\u2019RE ABLE TO ACTUALLY, YOU CAN SEE UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT THAT THEY CAN COLOR CODE. SO YOU CAN SEE WHICH ONES ARE ACTUALLY STERILE. IT\u2019S IT\u2019S AMAZING. IT\u2019S AMAZING SCIENCE, RIGHT? AND YOU HAVE ENLIGHTENED ME. I HAVE SHAYNA, I HAVE, IT\u2019S WONDERFUL. IT\u2019S GREAT TO SEE YOU. SHAYNA. THERE WE GO. THE SCREWWORM WE\u2019RE TALKING ABOUT MAGGOTS AND WE\u2019RE TALKING ABOUT NEUTERING FLIES. THE HIGHER YOU GO, YOU GOT EVERYTHING HERE TO KEEP UP. WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR CATTLE SAFE. WE HAVE TO KEEP. YOU KNOW, THAT\u2019S IM\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Two more Texas screwworm infections found in animals far apart, USDA says<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 11:21 AM EDT Jun 8, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n