The return of the Screwworm in Florida

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First & Last Name Teacher’s Name Class & Period Due Date of Assignment The wrath of Screwworms in Florida Screwworm is defined as the fly larvae or maggots. According to the report by the federal state department of agriculture (USDA), this self-sustaining screwworm population was eradicated from the US in the year 1966(Cima Para 14).Mexico followed suit and was declared free from these worms in 1991.The reinfestation of screwworms in the US occurred in 2007 when infested dogs arrived in Florida from Trinidad and Tobago (Cima 17). They spent some time here and then proceeded to Mississippi. According to Animal and plant health inspection service (APHIS) Screwworms live in South America and five Caribbean countries. Screwworms have commonly infested deer and to an extent some pets in Florida since the 1960s (Cima Para 1). Research from USDA and APHIS shows that these worms can infect all warm-blooded animals. They at times attack humans causing various devastating diseases. These dangerous infections have continued to cause deaths to the remnant deer and animals necessitating the USDA to declare the state of emergency on 3rd October in Monroe County. Officials cautioned people to check their animals and report any possible infestation. Comparing the original article to a report from public radio international, the Science Friday journal, there’s a lot of misrepresentation of facts. The story is coupled with a lot of overstatement. For example, the journal overstates the extent of the spread of the screwworms insisting that more than half of Florida is infested, further claiming that over 100 deer of the existing 1000 have succumbed to screwworms.