According to EFECOM, several recent cases of snailworms in different regions of Mexico have increased the concern of authorities and ranchers due to the spread of the pest, which has impacted the country’s livestock sector and triggered a health alert. The National Service for Health, Safety and Quality of Agri-Food (Senasica) and the Mexico-United States Commission for the Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth and Other Exotic Animal Diseases (CPA) confirmed the first outbreak in the State of Mexico. The situation led to the release of new surveillance and disinfection guidelines for animal production units, with a focus on early care for injuries in livestock.
The outbreak in question was identified in Tlatlaya, a municipality in the south of the state of Mexico, where the screwworm larva was found in a goat whose wound was not treated in a timely manner. The State Secretariat for Rural Areas explained, according to EFECOM, that the lack of medical intervention on exposed wounds favored the infestation, which triggered the immediate activation of protocols for the active search for suspected cases in the region.
Authorities’ response included recommending daily inspection practices of livestock, as well as washing and disinfecting lesions and applying medicinal powders for healing and prevention. Senasica has promoted the motto “Without wounds, there are no worms,” encouraging producers to immediately attend to any injury and report the occurrence of cases early, as published by EFECOM media.
According to EFECOM, more than 410 cattle in Mexico have been affected by the plague to date. In the south of the country, particularly in the state of Oaxaca, 168 cases have been recorded, while recent records in Tamaulipas, a state bordering the United States, reflect a continued advance of the infestation from the south to the north of the national territory. Despite the spread, the federal government pointed out that the care measures were carried out “in a timely manner,” the media reported.
The Mexican government, together with state authorities and livestock associations, also announced the holding of an upcoming meeting with mayors and producers of the southern part of the state of Mexico. EFECOM explained that the main objective will be to strengthen the strategy of maintenance, surveillance and dissemination of preventive measures in the central region of the country, where concerns are increasing about the possibility of further outbreaks.
The advance of the screwworm had a direct impact on international trade. As of November 2024, the United States decided to immediately suspend imports of live cattle from Mexico, citing the danger posed by the plague to American livestock. According to the publications of the Mexican authorities, this decision was described as “unilateral” and, according to manufacturers quoted by EFECOM, it caused an economic impact of more than 800 million dollars in just over a year.
Mexican livestock production, particularly the export sector, was reportedly affected by the US suspension, with more than a million animals exported to that country annually. According to EFECOM, this represents about 60% of live cattle imports from the United States and almost 3% of the North American domestic population.
On December 3, the Mexican government announced the expansion of screwworm control measures, expanding containment efforts to include domestic and wild species and even to protect human health. EFECOM pointed out that the health policy is based on strengthening control and surveillance in livestock production areas, increasing information campaigns and ensuring coordination between the different levels of government and production organizations in the livestock sector.
The monitoring of the production units and the presence of the pest have led to the need to maintain the health alert in the preventive phase, EFECOM reports. In addition, official recommendations for inspection of livestock and immediate wound care are maintained to prevent new infestations, in the context of an expansion that continues to worry producers and authorities due to its impact on production, trade and animal health.
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