Yucatán’s livestock sector continues to be affected by the cattle screwworm, with hundreds of confirmed cases now. President Joaquín Díaz Mena’s administration has failed both in preventing the plague’s arrival and in its current goal of eradicating it.
The strategy launched by the Yucatán government, led by President Joaquín Díaz Mena, to eradicate the cattle screwworm infestation in the state has so far been unsuccessful, as new infections continue to emerge among the state’s animals.
The Díaz Mena administration had set as its first objective the prevention of the plague from entering Yucatán; however, that initial goal of local authorities was thwarted in March 2025, when the first infected animal was detected in the state, thus officially beginning its spread throughout the state.
As late as November 28, 2024, the state government was still discussing the efforts it was implementing to prevent the health and economic impacts of a plague like the cattle screwworm in the state; although these effects would ultimately reach Yucatecan territory.
“The head of the Ministry of Rural Development (SEDER), Edgardo Medina Rodríguez, reported that the Government of Yucatán, through his agency, continues working to prevent the entry of the cattle screwworm into the state.
“He affirmed that SEDER remains committed to strengthening actions to keep the state’s livestock out of reach of the larvae and avoid the consequences this would have on the local economy,” the official statement reported on that date.
To keep this “threat” at bay, the official warned at the time, it was necessary to control the importation of animals, products, and byproducts from affected countries, strengthen biosecurity measures in livestock production units, and conduct daily animal checks and, where appropriate, treat wounds with an antiseptic, insecticide, or larvicide and wound healing agent.
The health shield established by the Díaz Mena administration, however, would prove insufficient to stop the pest from reaching the state, which would end up occurring during the first quarter of the year. course.
By May 16, 2025, a dog was confirmed to have been infected in an urban setting, and therefore outside the rural and livestock areas where new cases are usually detected.
Source: reporteindigo
