The US will use emergency medicines to combat the screwworm.

Today, the United States government announced the authorization of veterinary drugs intended to treat or prevent infestations caused by the New World screwworm . This pest has led to a halt to livestock imports into the country from Mexico .

The measure, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is limited exclusively to animal drugs and seeks to anticipate a potential risk to the country's food supply.

The parasite affects warm-blooded animals—including livestock, pets, and wildlife—and in rare cases also humans, causing severe tissue damage and sometimes death.

Although declared eradicated from North and Central America decades ago, the screwworm has advanced northward since 2022 and is currently found near the U.S.-Mexico border.

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HHS issued the license that will allow the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) to grant emergency use authorization.

"We are taking decisive action to safeguard the nation's food supply from this emerging threat. This authorization allows the FDA to act quickly, limit the spread of the New World screwworm, and protect American livestock," said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a statement.

The plague has caused three closures of Mexican cattle imports in just eight months, with the latest in effect since July 9, just three days after its opening.

This has resulted in losses of more than $1.3 billion and the suspension of 650,000 head of cattle from Mexico, according to the Mexican National Agricultural Council (CNA) on Monday.

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