Stillwater, Okla. (RFD-TV) — New World Screwworm cases in Mexico are up 32 percent, sparking growing concern in the U.S. cattle industry.
Dr. Rosalyn Biggs, an assistant professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Oklahoma State University, warns producers may not be prepared if the parasite crosses the border. Access to appropriate facilities for treatment and remembering how severe past outbreaks were are both essential.
“It’s one of my biggest concerns, frankly, with New World Screwworm, is access to facilities, [do producers have] access to be able to treat right?” Dr. Biggs said. “Facilities, as far as that investment goes -- it’s got to be something that makes sense. We’ve got to be able to get those animals caught. Get them handled based on what we could potentially face. That, and I have a concern that the vast majority of producers don’t remember it. That includes me. I have to listen to my father and others who had to deal with New World screwworm on a daily basis.”
Biggs says stopping the spread of Screwworm is all about daily inspections, and producers need to think of ways to make that easier now rather than later.
“Especially with the looming New World Screwworm, we had the announcement — I saw it in the middle of the night — that it’s 70 miles from the border,” Biggs continued. “It looks like it’s inching closer. If there’s any time to invest in facilities, it’s probably now. What you may find is that handling facilities will improve your cattle experience if you get good ones, right? I don’t know how many times we’ve just been dealing with something, dealing with something, dealing with something, and we finally make the investment. Why did we wait so long to do that?
Biggs said producers should keep animal handling in mind. If you finally catch that one hard-to-wrangle cow, she thinks it may be best to send them to the sale barn before issues arise, if treatment is needed.
“That’s another component, too. For that, you can have your veterinarian out. It’s a new, fresh set of eyes on it. Having facility consoles, I think, is a great approach and, again, now’s the time to invest.”
