USDA Deploys 100 Million Sterile Flies Weekly to Block Screwworm at U.S.-Mexico Border
Updated
Updated · USDA APHIS · Jun 4
USDA Deploys 100 Million Sterile Flies Weekly to Block Screwworm at U.S.-Mexico Border
3 articles · Updated · USDA APHIS · Jun 4
Summary
USDA said it is releasing 100 million sterile insects a week in Mexico and along the U.S.-Mexico border to suppress New World screwworm and keep the pest from entering the United States.
The agency is shifting the release zone as new cases emerge, using science and modeling to target risk areas while maintaining broad suppression across the border region.
USDA said detections within 400 miles of the border but outside the current dispersal area do not raise the threat to the United States, and called isolated Mexican cases expected and quickly contained.
All southern ports of entry remain closed to livestock trade, underscoring the broader animal-health and trade stakes as U.S. and Mexican authorities continue joint monitoring and response.