Following the confirmation of the first death from myiasis, prevention measures by the Oaxaca Ministry of Agri-Food Development and Rural Development appear to be lax. There is no containment operation in place at the Etla livestock market in the central region of the state.
When the programs to combat the plague were announced last year, brigades were seen treating livestock wounds, but at least today they were nowhere to be seen.
Unotv.com visited the markets, known in Oaxaca as “Baratillos,” where more than 500 people gather every Wednesday to buy and sell bulls, cows, sheep, and poultry. This particular market is located 20 kilometers from the site of the outbreak that resulted in the death of an elderly person.
However, the ranchers who come to the “Baratillos” monitor the animals’ wounds at the time of purchase, and since no visible cases of infection have been reported, they remain confident.
“Well, check the wound, make sure it’s not deep, protect it above all else, and pay attention to the animal when you buy it and when you sell it,” said Efrén Espinoza, manager of the Etla flea market.
In Oaxaca, more than 3,000 cases of screwworm in cattle have been reported, concentrated mainly in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the Coast, and the Papaloapan Basin regions.
“No, not yet, not a serious disease; right now we don’t know anything. There are small wounds, they’re mild illnesses, but we haven’t heard anything about a serious disease,” assured Noel Bautista, a cattle rancher from Etla.
“I’m only just now hearing that there was a human death here,” added Felipe, another cattle rancher.
Source: unotv
