
The Science Behind Screwworm Eradication
On Sunday, May 11, the U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said she is suspending import of live cattle, horses and bison “...through U.S. southern border ports of entry effective immediately” due to detection of the screwworm in Veracruz and Oaxaca in Mexico, nearly 700 miles south of the U.S. border as reported by Reuters. But Rollins wrongly stated “The last time this devastating pest invaded America, it took 30 years for our cattle industry to recover.”