DHS, USDA, CDC hold New World screwworm simulation to strengthen U.S. food security

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Key takeaways

DHS Office of Health Security coordinated a two-part New World Screwworm simulation exercise with USDA, CDC, and the Department of the Interior.
The exercise included about 80 in-person and more than 170 virtual attendees from federal, state, local, and tribal authorities.
Participants reviewed three potential domestic spread scenarios: illegal cattle smuggling, spread via wild animals, and transmission by a person with an infested wound.
Officials emphasized the economic and health risks posed by New World screwworm, which infests warm-blooded animals and humans by burrowing into living flesh and laying eggs.
Leaders called for a coordinated Federal, state, and local One Health response and said the exercise helped identify preparedness gaps and decision points.
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and a New World Screwworm Directorate were specifically mentioned as part of preparedness efforts.

Follow Up Questions

What is the New World Screwworm and how does it affect animals and humans?Expand

The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a parasitic fly whose larvae (maggots) cause myiasis by laying eggs in open wounds or body openings; the hatched larvae burrow into living flesh and feed on tissue, causing painful, foul‑smelling wounds, severe tissue damage, secondary infection and sometimes death in livestock, wildlife, pets and occasionally humans.

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