In Fight Against Screwworm, One Positive Update

America's fight against the New World screwworm just got an encouraging update. The USDA said Monday on X that a sterile fly facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg will now open next spring—seven months earlier than planned—as officials race to contain a New World screwworm outbreak in Texas and New Mexico. The Hill reports there have been 45 domestic cases of the parasite, which attacks warm-blooded animals, since June. Per the X post, the facility is expected to produce 100 million sterile flies per week by the end of 2027, and triple that count by late 2028.

The Texas site will coordinate with existing facilities in Panama and Mexico. Separately, the FDA on Friday granted emergency authorization for CLiK Extra, a wound spray for infected animals that can be used on sheep, cattle, goats, swine, American bison, bighorn sheep, and more.