The Secretary of Rural Development for the State of Durango confirmed the first case of screwworm in a dog. This comes after health authorities identified the presence of the pest in Pueblo Nuevo.
The notification was made by the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica), triggering health alerts in the state, one of the few that had claimed to remain free of this disease until now.
“We, as the State Government, have been notified that the first case has appeared in the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo, in a pet, a dog,” explained Jesús Héctor López Morales.
Given this situation, he said, state authorities will hold meetings with personnel from Senasica and the Livestock Development and Protection Committee to define the actions and protocols necessary to contain the spread of the fly responsible for the screwworm.
Possibility of Wildlife Attacks Increases Concern
He stated that, although the case was detected in a pet, the risk is not limited to domestic animals or livestock, but can also affect wildlife, increasing the concern of health authorities.
Durango Had Been Free of Pests
Durango, he said, had managed to remain free of the pest thanks to various preventative measures implemented by the state government, including livestock traceability programs and support for producers with dip bath products, designed to keep animals free of ticks, lice, and wounds that facilitate infestation.
However, he acknowledged that the arrival of the screwworm was a latent threat due to the presence of cases in neighboring states such as Nayarit, Zacatecas, and Coahuila.
He indicated that one of the main challenges in containing the disease will be the limited availability of sterile flies, which is considered the most effective method to curb the pest’s reproduction.
He noted that the United States allocates its entire production of these insects to sanitary control within its own territory.
He reiterated that Senasica will be the agency in charge of coordinating sanitary measures and care protocols to prevent the screwworm from spreading in the state and affecting the livestock sector, considered one of the pillars of Durango’s rural economy.
“The positive thing is that it was in a dog,” said the governor of Durango.
For his part, Governor Esteban Villegas Villarreal stated that, although this situation has health authorities on alert, the fact that the case was detected in a pet and not in livestock represents a favorable aspect within the current scenario.
“The positive thing amidst the bad is that it was in a dog, not in livestock, and that makes us even more at ease.”
He explained that the presence of the pest not only represents a risk to animals, but also to people with open wounds.
Source: msn
