The return of the Screwworm in Florida

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The wrath of Screwworms in Florida
Screwworm is defined as the fly larvae or maggots. According to the report by the federal state department of agriculture (USDA), this self-sustaining screwworm population was eradicated from the US in the year 1966(Cima Para 14).Mexico followed suit and was declared free from these worms in 1991.The reinfestation of screwworms in the US occurred in 2007 when infested dogs arrived in Florida from Trinidad and Tobago (Cima 17). They spent some time here and then proceeded to Mississippi. According to Animal and plant health inspection service (APHIS) Screwworms live in South America and five Caribbean countries.
Screwworms have commonly infested deer and to an extent some pets in Florida since the 1960s (Cima Para 1). Research from USDA and APHIS shows that these worms can infect all warm-blooded animals. They at times attack humans causing various devastating diseases. These dangerous infections have continued to cause deaths to the remnant deer and animals necessitating the USDA to declare the state of emergency on 3rd October in Monroe County. Officials cautioned people to check their animals and report any possible infestation.
Comparing the original article to a report from public radio international, the Science Friday journal, there’s a lot of misrepresentation of facts. The story is coupled with a lot of overstatement. For example, the journal overstates the extent of the spread of the screwworms insisting that more than half of Florida is infested, further claiming that over 100 deer of the existing 1000 have succumbed to screwworms.

The journal presents the worms as untreatable and nearly uncontrollable which is not true when compared to the original journal. The alternative media is subjective to an extent and cannot wholly be relied upon to give an accurate statement short of understatement or overstatement.
According to the international public radio; the Science Friday journal, the end to screwworms is far from over. These worms have multiplied, and now a bigger part of Florida is already attacked. The remnant deer are dying from these infections at an alarming rate. Too will be the pets. The researchers are spending sleepless nights to get the remedy but still yet to be successful (Franz Para 3).
The female fly lays eggs into an open wound of the injured deer or pet. When these eggs hatch they go deeper and deeper into to the living tissues of the animal and burrows there. They start eating up the tissues creating large open wounds where more flies percolate. When this condition goes untreated, the physical injury caused, makes animals dies between one to two weeks (Franz Para 4). Florida has declared an agricultural state of emergency to try to curb this menace. They established quarantine to control the spread to other areas.
The New York Times Journal reports that it took the US government nearly 20 years to eradicate the screwworms when they appeared in the 1930s to 1950s(Robles n p).The process caused the government more than 20 million USD. Since then the government has spent millions of dollars trying to keep the infestation out of Mexico and other nearby countries. This was lauded as one of the major success of agriculture in the United States. Its reemergence causes panic to the entire economy as the agricultural sector may go on its knees.
The government has moved faster this time to avert the far-sighted loss. Quarantine has been imposed in parts of Florida and any other affected areas (Robles Para 11). Quarantine restricts the movement of affected animals to others. They can receive treatment in their localized area. The declaration of the state of emergency in the agricultural sector has been got farmers attention. People are expected to report any case of animals that shows the sign of infection to the agricultural officials nearby.
The successful eradication of screwworms will occur when the government fully controls immigration. The immigrant from the affected countries of Mexico, Cuba Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago always finds a soft landing spot in Florida after where they go to other states.
Some people overreacted to the government responses in tackling the screwworms menace. Some condemned government sluggishness which caused a good number of cattle in Florida to die. Additionary several deer also died. On its part, the government defended itself on the ground that it had previously eradicated the infestation five decades ago and this was reinfestation.
Cima, Greg. Association, American Veterinary Medical. Flesh-eating larvae infested deer, possibly pets Screwworms found in Florida. 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016. <https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/161115e.aspx>.
Franz, Julia. Screwworm is back — and it’s bad news for Florida’s endangered deer. Public Radio International, 30 Nov. 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016. http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-11-13/screwworm-back-and-it-s-bad-news-florida-s-endangered-deerRobles, Frances. “A Long-Gone Parasite Returns to Florida, Leaving a Trail of Dead Deer.” U.S. The New York Times, 28 Nov. 2016. Web. 1 Dec. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/25/us/parasites-deer-florida-keys.html?_r=0>.