2 weeks ago
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Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abelardo Mai, made an appeal this week for residents to report any cases of the new world screwworm. He indicated that people are ignoring the protocols and are just leaving animals to die instead of seeking confirmation of the infection or reporting any incidents. Minister Mai noted that the reporting helps with the data that the ministry is compelled to keep due to its trade agreements.
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture: “We had a number of new cases in Orange Walk so we’re just under 400 I believe it is. But it is growing and it is expected to grow. We also believe that there are some cases not being reported and so education plays a very key role here. The question people will ask ‘why would I report it.’, ‘Why would I hold a dog down and take out the worms out of it?’ But it’s important to report accurately because we have trading partners. We are a member the region and we have to update them on how many case we have so we need to do the difficult work of reporting every case, taking out samples and confirming it.”
The first animal cases were detected in late December 2024, primarily in the Toledo District near the Guatemalan border. Since then, the parasitic fly has spread, with a significant increase in cases across the country, affecting cattle, sheep, goats, horses, dogs, cats, and even wildlife like howler monkeys. As of mid-August 2025, there were over 300 confirmed cases in animals. Earlier this month, Belize confirmed its first human cases of the NWS. The patients, a 21-year-old and a 60-year-old, were treated with manual extraction of the larvae, as well as with ivermectin and antibiotics to prevent secondary infections.
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