Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread • Hacker News Board

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#11

Post by zeagle » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:50 PM UTC

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Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#12

Post by wizzwizz4 » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:50 PM UTC

echelon wrote: post #8

icy wrote: post #2

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Yes? Horrific things don't stop being horrific, just because they're the status quo. (But this is wildly off-topic.)

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#13

Post by colechristensen » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:50 PM UTC

Here's a video describing the system that fell apart which had been working for a long time to keep these flies out of north america

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olj8arvfYj4

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#14

Post by burnt-resistor » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:51 PM UTC

kriops wrote: post #4

icy wrote: post #2

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(Implied) invalid generalization, or confirmation bias. This is a good reason to not eat that particular meat. In general, however, meat is an S-tier source of nutrition, vitamins, and minerals.

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Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#15

Post by neutered_knot » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:52 PM UTC

A story from 2020 about how effective the US funded anti-screwworm program used to be.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/flesh-ea...

Archive link: https://archive.ph/3sD9d

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#16

Post by mistyvales » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:52 PM UTC

Didn't they pull funding for mitigation programs regarding this? Or was that rescinded?

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#17

Post by drhodes » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:52 PM UTC

A recent, relevant video from Kurzgesagt: How Nuclear Flies Protect You from Flesh-Eating Parasites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxq60I5RSW8

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#18

Post by burnt-resistor » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:53 PM UTC

wizzwizz4 wrote: post #12

echelon wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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Yes? Horrific things don't stop being horrific, just because they're the status quo. (But this is wildly off-topic.)

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Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#19

Post by ajmurmann » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:53 PM UTC

neutered_knot wrote: post #15

A story from 2020 about how effective the US funded anti-screwworm program used to be. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/flesh-ea... Archive link: https://archive.ph/3sD9d

Why is it "used to be"? I've heard about the program before and thought it was incredible. What happened to it?

Edit: Brief research tells me the screwworms broke though to Mexico in November 2024 after cases started increasing north of the Darian Gap throughout 2023 (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/program-update/new-world-scr...). It does seem like the funding now is happening through USDA rather than USAID (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/cattle/...) and there likely was a funding gap. As much as I like to blame the current administration for defunding USAID the breakthrough happened earlier.

Re: Mexico to US livestock trade halted due to screwworm spread

#20

Post by cogman10 » Sat, Aug 09, 2025, 2:54 PM UTC

USAID was in charge of the program which monitored screwworm spread in central and south america. The way you combat screwworm is by releasing sterile male flies in screwworm outbreak areas.