Screwworm Cases Surge to 320 Across Belize

Belize now has over three hundred confirmed cases of New World screwworm. The latest update from the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) puts the number of cases just under 320, a sizeable jump from the 160 that were reported just last month. The Cayo and Toledo Districts continue to record the highest number of cases, but cases in the Belize and Stann Creek Districts are now on the rise. Notably, despite the flesh-eating parasite being rampant in neighboring Mexico, the Corozal district has no confirmed cases. Dr. Roxanna Alvarez, Director of Animal Health, BAHA, told Love News that the sharp rise in cases is mainly due to infestation in pets, particularly dogs. 

Dr. Roxanna Alvarez, Director of Animal Health, BAHA: “What we have seen though is the continued increase of cases in dogs. And this is extremely concerning since of the 319 total cases that we’ve had in Belize, approximately 50 % has been in dogs, which simply means that we need to pay attention to our pets. It is unfortunate that we have not been paying enough attention to our pets and it has become more prevalent in  our pets than in our livestock. It speaks, I think, to the fact that a lot of times we only see our dogs, you know, or we only inspect them carefully when the wound is already extremely obvious, when there’s a gaping hole or when the dog doesn’t want to get up or, you know,  the signs are very obvious. And that is when we notice and we reach out to BAHA or to our vets or so on and take them.  We know that it is established in our neighbouring countries.  They have had rises in cases also and unfortunately, that does spill over in Belize. Coupled with the fact that we haven’t been doing a lot of inspection as pet owners then we have this increase in the number of cases.”

Dr. Alvarez also noted that there have been two confirmed cases of screwworm in howler monkeys who were bitten by dogs in the Cayo district. However, BAHA cannot presently say that screwworms are present in wildlife and that more research needs to be conducted.