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USDA ISSUES SCREWWORM WARNING

USDA ISSUES SCREWWORM WARNING

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture will require imports of horses, ruminants, swine and dogs from certain countries to be inspected and treated for screwworms.

   “In July 1999 and again in February and March of 2000, screwworm larvae were found in horses that were imported from Venezuela and Argentina,” said Alfonso Torres, deputy administrator for veterinary services at the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. “These occurrences have led us to tighten our regulations to reduce the risk of introducing screwworm into our country.”

   Screwworm is a native pest of tropical areas in South America, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, tropical and sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian peninsula. It causes extensive damage to livestock and other warm-blooded animals. The United States eradicated the pest in 1966.