Michigan agriculture officials are taking steps to prevent the spread of the New World Screwworm, a potentially deadly pest.
The screwworm is a parasitic fly that infects warm-blooded animals by leaving eggs in wounds. It can cause serious and fatal harm to an animal.
The pest was located in Texas and New Mexico. The pest was eradicated from America in 1966 but has been spotted a handful of times since, including a 2017 case in Florida.
Warm-blooded animals from areas in the southwest with confirmed infections are banned from entering Michigan, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. the state agency leading the repsonse. Animals entering the state from areas near the infection must also be certified by a veterinarian.
"Notably this is not a disease, this is a pest and so this is not a food safety concern in any of the ways that we might typically more associate with animal disease," said Tim Boring, director of MDARD.
Boring says the restrictions will apply to most warm-blooded animals with a few exceptions.
“We know that poultry and reptiles, for instance, are not nearly so susceptible to this,” he said.
The state has no known cases at this time. New World Screwworm does not transmit between animals.
