Washington, D.C.– The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is excited to highlight the launch of the NEW Unified New World screwworm (NWS) website, screwworm.gov. This dynamic new site centralizes NWS information available across the federal government. It reflects our whole-of-government effort to fight this pest through the implementation of Secretary Rollins’s comprehensive five-pronged plan.
Adult screwworm flies are about the size of a common housefly. They have orange eyes, a metallic blue or green body, and three dark stripes along their backs.
NWS larvae have a series of backwardly protruding spines around a tapered body, giving them a screw-like appearance and helping to identify the pest.
“The Trump Administration is leading a whole-of-government effort to protect our nation’s cattle industry from the New World Screwworm. To ensure timely and effective communications, this new unified website will be a one-stop shop for all screwworm-related information and will help our stakeholders be better informed as new information becomes available,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “We are grateful for the robust interagency collaboration, and we continue to work every day with our state and industry partners to implement our screwworm plan. This is a national security priority, and it has the full attention of our team.”
Screwworm.gov has targeted resources for a wide range of stakeholders, including livestock producers, veterinarians, animal health officials, wildlife professionals, healthcare providers, pet owners, researchers, drug manufacturers, and the general public. It also includes the latest USDA-verified information on cases and response activities in Mexico, as well as U.S. preparedness efforts.
Under the decisive leadership of Secretary Rollins, USDA is leading an aggressive, whole-of-government response to protect the Nation’s livestock, wildlife, and public health from NWS. The U.S. One Health Coordination Unit for NWS, co-led by USDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of the Interior, is actively working to ensure the United States is prepared should NWS be detected here.
Screwworm.gov includes information from these partner agencies as well as the following collaborating agencies: the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of State.
This new site was built with customers in mind. It will help all visitors to the Screwworm.gov website, whether they are protecting their herds, traveling internationally with or without pets, endorsing health certificates, conducting research, seeking answers to questions, or looking for other ways to help. USDA will continue to work with our partners to update and enhance this site to ensure it contains the latest information.
Visit Screwworm.gov today.
