USDA Launches New World Screwworm Website

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a New World screwworm (NWS) website, screwworm.gov. The site centralizes NWS information available across the federal government.

NWS, a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on the living flesh of warm-blooded animals, poses a threat to U.S. livestock, wildlife and domestic animals, especially those involved in food systems like beef and dairy cattle, as the pest’s spread in Mexico inches closer to the U.S. border.

“The Trump Administration is leading a whole of government effort to protect our nation’s cattle industry from the New World screwworm,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “To ensure timely and effective communications, this new unified website will be a one-stop shop for all screwworm-related information and will help our stakeholders be better informed as new information comes available. We are grateful for the robust interagency collaboration, and we continue to work every day with our state and industry partners to implement our screwworm plan. This is a national security priority, and it has the full attention of our team.”

The new website offers resources for stakeholders, including livestock producers, veterinarians, animal health officials, wildlife professionals, healthcare providers, pet owners, researchers, drug manufacturers and the general public. It also has the latest USDA-verified information on cases, response activities in Mexico and U.S. preparedness efforts.

The USDA said the U.S. One Health Coordination Unit for NWS, co-led by USDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are working to ensure the U.S. is prepared should NWS be detected in the country.

The new website includes information from these partner agencies, as well as the following collaborating agencies: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of State (DOS).

This site was built with customers in mind, said USDA, and aims to help all visitors, whether they are protecting their herds, traveling internationally with or without pets, endorsing health certificates, conducting research, seeking answers to questions or looking for ways to help.