Overview
- Confirmed detections of New World screwworm have been reported in Texas and New Mexico, prompting a coordinated detection and control response.
- County of San Diego HHSA and UC San Diego built a partner-only dashboard that combines confirmed cases, environmental suitability models, and media reports to estimate county-by-county risk.
- Officials include media signals in the dashboard because lab confirmation can take days or weeks, and early alerts speed local surveillance and veterinary checks.
- The USDA has revived the sterile insect technique and imposed pesticides and animal-movement quarantines, and it is testing a genetically modified all-male strain that is seeking EPA approval.
- The response is run as a one-health, multi-agency effort through Resilient Shield and Insight Net, and it aims to limit economic damage to livestock while improving early-warning tools for future pest threats.