After a screwworm infestation was confirmed in a South Texas calf, officials launched an aggressive effort to prevent the parasite from spreading in the nation’s largest cattle-producing state.
Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, senior veterinarian and director of pet health information at Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, discusses more about the "new world screwworm" detected in a baby cow in Texas.
The New World Screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, has been detected in Texas, prompting quarantine measures and heightened surveillance to protect livestock.
The New World Screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, has returned to Texas, prompting quarantine measures and heightened surveillance to protect livestock. PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: The New World Screwworm (NWS), a flesh-eating parasite eradicated in the U.S. since 1966, has been detected in Texas . A confirmed case was found in a three-week-old calf near LaPryor, approximately 50 miles from the Mexican border, triggering a 12-mile quarantine zone to prevent the parasite’s spread. DETAIL: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA has spent months preparing for the threat, including releasing millions of sterile flies to prevent the pest from becoming established in the U.S., and emphasized…Open
The parasite was found in a 3-week-old calf decades after it was largely eradicated in the U.S. Authorities said the risk to humans is low.
ABC News' Danny New speaks with filmmaker Joanna Zelman and her father, Jared, who helped transport two 10-day-old calves from farms in Vermont to an animal sanctuary in Maryland.
Tanner Sorrell worried about a newborn calf on his farm. He brought her inside to warm up, and soon found her cuddling with his kids on the couch.
AI:In another instance of the media elite peddling soft-focus human interest fluff to distract from the crumbling state of our nation, the Washington Post is running a piece about a farmer bringing a freezing newborn calf into his home where it ended up cuddling with his children. While these sentimentalized anecdotes are designed to trigger an emotional response and provide a momentary escape from the actual economic and social crises facing rural America, they serve no purpose other than to offer mindless distraction. Instead of addressing the increasingly harsh realities faced by agricultural producers, the media outlets choose to broadcast trivial domestic moments that do nothing to inform or prepare the public for the real challenges…Open