HOLLAND, Mich. — The New World screwworm fly has returned to the United States after being eradicated in 1966, but Michigan officials and agriculture industry representatives say it's not a cause for concern in the state.
WATCH: New World screwworm fly found in US, but Michigan officials say residents are safe
There are currently 14 cases of the parasitic fly in Texas and 1 in New Mexico.
Pierce Bennett, the Livestock Industry Relations Specialist with the Michigan Farm Bureau, said the pest poses a direct threat to warm-blooded animals.
"It is known to live and live in flesh, warm-blooded mammals that includes humans, but particularly where it wants to be is in livestock and wildlife," Bennett said. "Over the last couple years, in particular, we've seen that fly surge back north and now find its way across the US border over the last couple weeks."
While cattle farmers are on high alert, Bennett said grocery shoppers have nothing to fear.
"There is no food risk here when it comes to screw worm. It is looking for, excuse me, but live flesh, and so we have no concerns," Bennett said. "USDA and MDARD have been very clear publicly, as well as industry representatives like myself, that the American consumer can go to the grocery store, can go out for a lovely Wednesday night dinner with the family and have confidence that screw worm is not affecting their eating experience or their overall health."
Bennett said Michigan, in particular, has protections in place.
"There are proper protocols to hopefully stop the movement of this pest anywhere near Michigan, but also to monitor it and to ensure that if something were to happen, we can quickly and effectively get it under control," Bennett said. "We're not just waiting for something to happen, we are proactively working together as government and industry to ensure the state of Michigan, our livestock industry, and then all of our local neighbors here in the state are protected."
Bennett said Michigan residents should remain cautious when traveling with pets.
"Something to be conscious of as we're traveling with our animals is that they're susceptible, and the case in New Mexico was based from a dog who was brought to Mexico in a region that had screw worm, and then unfortunately that pet brought it back," Bennett said.
That dog has since made a full recovery.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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