Canada has banned livestock imports from Texas, following a second confirmed finding of new world screwworm in a calf in Texas.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed the second case of the pest in a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, approximately 5.6 miles away from the first confirmed detection of screwworm.
The temporary import restriction on livestock from Texas, including horses, has been put in place by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
The new world screwworm is a notifiable disease in Canada under the health of animals act.
The livestock ban restricts animals that originate from or were present in the state of Texas within 21 days prior to border crossing.
New world screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae or maggots eat the living tissue of warm-blooded animals.
The CFIA has said that it will continue to work closely with its US counterparts to assess developments and adjust measures where needed.
While Canada’s colder climate is not optimal for the long-term establishment of the fly, they can survive shorter periods of time in the summer months.
The pest is endemic to South American and Caribbean countries.
Additionally, Mexico has reported cases of new world screwworm and as a result Canada restricts the importation of cattle, bison, sheep, goats, cervids and swine from Mexico with strict conditions also in place for the import of horses from Mexico.
US response
In Texas, measures to contain and eradicate the pest have been put in place including the establishment of a 20km infestation zone around the detection and the implementation of quarantines, movement controls and surveillance the area.
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorisations for several new world screwworm treatments for different species including, cattle, horses, swine, goats, captive exotic animals and wildlife.
The USDA began releasing sterile flies over the affected area following the first detection on 4 June which will see 2 million sterile screwworms dispersed twice a week to disrupt the pest’s lifecycle.
Additionally, the USDA is shipping another 4 million sterile flies per week to Texas which will be deployed using strategically placed 24 ground release chambers.
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