The Secretariat of Rural Development (Seder) launched the second phase of the Myiasis Suppression Pilot Plan, with actions including surveillance, trapping, diagnosis, and timely treatment of cases in Yucatán, a state that has accumulated 36 cases of myiasis in humans, one death, and 1,726 cases of animals infected by the screwworm.
Phase 2 of the plan aims to contain the spread of the insect and strengthen surveillance and control measures for the screwworm to protect human and animal health.
As part of this strategy, 625 traps were installed, operated by Seder, the Secretariat of Sustainable Development, the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), and the Autonomous University of Yucatán (UADY), the state agency reported.
In this phase, the municipalities of Acanceh, Chicxulub Pueblo, Conkal, Hunucmá, Kanasín, Progreso, Samahil, Timucuy, Tixkokob, Tixpéhual, Ucú, Umán, and Mérida will be served.
Rocío Chuc Mézquita, who is in charge of the plan’s trapping activities, explained that only blue traps will be used in this phase, as they employ a kairomone, a chemical substance that emits an odor similar to that of a wound and attracts the screwworm fly.
“The blue trap was chosen because it acts faster than the homemade traps and bait stations; it also allows for better preservation of the captured insects. We are placing them in parks and areas with a presence of stray dogs,” she explained.
The traps are checked weekly and then taken to a laboratory for identification of the captured insects. Therefore, the Ministry of Rural Development (Seder) urged the public not to handle or remove them if they find them placed in trees.
As background, during Phase 1, which ran from January to March, 6,396 larval samples were sent to the laboratory, of which 91 tested positive for the screwworm. During that period, 411 traps were installed in high-risk areas.
Cases and Deaths
The Yucatán Ministry of Rural Development (Seder) reported that, to date, Yucatán has accumulated 1,726 cases of screwworm infestation, distributed across 100 of the state’s 106 municipalities.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (SSA) confirmed three deaths from myiasis caused by the screwworm in the country, one of them in Yucatán, during epidemiological week 25, from June 27 to July 3, 2026.
The federal agency specified that the first death was that of a woman in Yucatán, during the week of March 7-13; The second outbreak occurred in Oaxaca between March 29 and April 4; and the third in Querétaro during week 25.
The Ministry of Health also reported that Yucatán ranks fourth nationally in accumulated cases of myiasis in humans, with 36 cases, while Chiapas leads the list with 145 cases.
Source: jornada
