With the approach of New World screw worm now closer to our nation’s southern border, “that is in Nuevo Leon was made known to us on September 21, and we have boots on the ground in Mexico determining exactly what happened there.”

Animal health officials, like Agriculture Department Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Lauren Stump, acknowledge an already aggressive approach by our country to protect our border and our nation’s livestock from potential NWS cases must be accelerated, with partnerships on multiple levels essential.

There are joint U.S.-Mexico efforts: “In being partners with them in eradication to protect the U.S. southern border, we have to enhance that U.S. oversight and surveillance. We’ve got to get better case reporting, lock down that animal movement that’s happening in Mexico to prevent further spread, providing traps and lures for screw worms so we really have an accurate assessment of where the pest is for doing proactive trapping in areas where we know it is not yet.”

There is also a longstanding partnership between the U.S. and Panama: “That is a commission with us and Panama on a sterile fly production facility and center of excellence that we call COPEG in Panama, and that today produces sterile flies that are utilized in keeping this pest at bay.”

USDA is the lead agency among several in the federal government addressing New World screw worm prevention and eradication, such as Customs and Border Protection.

“Department of Interior. When you’re thinking about this pest, there are different pesticides that are regulated by EPA that would need to be utilized. There are also drugs that are effective in treatment against the screw worm — those are regulated by FDA, Center for Veterinary Medicine. We are working hand in hand with a number of different agencies to make sure that we are prepared if there were to be a domestic incursion, that the tools that we would need to have in our toolbox are already ready to go.”

According to Stump, collaboration in NWS efforts also includes “the partnerships with the states, our industry partners and the public as well.”

Coordinated activities go beyond prevention. Education — particularly for the public on what to look out for regarding New World screw worm — is important, according to the deputy undersecretary.