Feds greenlight emergency drugs to combat deadly latrine fly livestock parasite near US border

WASHINGTON, DC — As a dangerous livestock parasite creeps closer to the U.S. border, federal health officials have cleared the way for emergency drugs to be used on animals in a high-stakes move to protect the nation’s food supply. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a declaration Monday enabling the FDA to authorize unapproved or foreign drugs to treat or prevent infestations caused by the New World Screwworm—a flesh-eating pest that targets warm-blooded animals and poses an escalating threat to agriculture.

The New World Screwworm, previously eradicated from North and Central America, has been advancing northward since 2022 and is now approaching the U.S.-Mexico border. While the risk to humans is considered low, the parasite can cause severe tissue damage and even d