Colorado prepares for screwworms, as the pest that was eradicated in 1966 returns to the US

Per The Conversation, screwworms—parasitic fly larvae that lay eggs in warm-blooded animals' living tissue—are back in the United States for the first time since their eradication in nineteen sixty-six. First detected in South Texas in June, the pest has spread northward, reaching New Mexico as of this week. The infestation causes tissue damage and can be life-threatening if untreated, but experts believe environmental and ecological changes have expanded its habitat range northward. To contain the outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been releasing millions of sterilized flies—exposed to gamma radiation to prevent successful breeding—across affected regions. Colorado has not seen any cases yet, but the state has activated a coordinated emergency response plan in case the pest arrives.

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