CDC Activates Emergency Operation Center Over Screwworm Outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated a Level 3 emergency response for the New World screwworm following recent detections of the destructive parasite in livestock and other animals in southern Texas and a county in New Mexico.
A Level 3 response is the lowest tier in the CDC’s emergency response framework, the agency said in a statement.
Federal health officials are working alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state authorities to contain the outbreak.
The declaration is an example of the Trump administration’s whole-of-government approach, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday.
“The CDC is just one more step in the right direction that allows us to deploy more resources at the federal level,” Rollins told reporters in Texas.
The USDA is tracking confirmed animal infestations through a public dashboard as officials monitor the spread of the pest.
New World screwworm primarily threatens livestock, pets, and wildlife. The parasite develops when screwworm flies lay eggs in open wounds or body openings, allowing larvae to feed on living tissue.
While human infections are possible, no cases have been reported in the United States, and federal officials continue to assess the risk to the public as low.
Health officials emphasized that New World screwworm is not contagious and cannot spread directly between animals, from animals to humans, or from person to person.
Instead, infections occur only through exposure to screwworm flies in affected areas, noted the CDC.
The Trump administration has been preparing for the threat for more than a year. In 2025, the USDA launched an aggressive strategy to prevent the parasite from reestablishing itself in the United States, said the agency.
The effort is being coordinated through an interagency working group led by the USDA, CDC, and Department of the Interior as part of a broader One Health initiative that recognizes the connection between human, animal, and environmental health.
Officials noted that the United States successfully eradicated New World screwworm decades ago and expressed confidence that the parasite can be eliminated again through coordinated surveillance and response efforts.
The CDC is urging healthcare providers in affected areas to remain alert for possible human cases and report any suspected infestations to state or local health authorities.
Veterinarians are also being encouraged to immediately report suspicious animal cases to state animal health officials and the USDA.
The screwworm was first eradicated in the 1960s, but it has come back before, The Hill reported.
The most recent U.S. outbreak of New World screwworm occurred in Florida between 2016 and 2017.
According to the CDC, a coordinated response involving federal, state, and local agencies successfully eradicated the parasite before it could become permanently reestablished in the country.
Health officials point to that effort as evidence that aggressive containment and eradication measures can be effective when agencies work together quickly to identify and eliminate infestations, the CDC noted.
While the United States remains free of established New World screwworm populations, the parasite continues to be endemic in several countries, including Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and parts of South America.
Its continued presence in the Western Hemisphere has kept federal animal and public health officials on alert, particularly as increased travel and cross-border animal movement create opportunities for the pest to spread into previously unaffected areas, notes The Hill.
“New World screwworm (NWS) is a serious pest of livestock and wildlife,” the USDA noted on its website.
“USDA is leading a coordinated One Health response to combat NWS. This is not a food safety issue—the U.S. food supply remains safe,” the agency noted further.
“The current risk to animals and people in the United States is very low,” it said.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
Shocking 'truth' behind Prince Harry's decision to quit major role
Prince Harry should have "resigned in disgrace" from the board of a controversial African wildlife charity, a commentator says. James Walker makes the bombshell remark in Wednesday's episode of this publication's podcast, Daily Expresso.
He and the show's host, JJ Anisiobi, delve into the Duke of Sussex's dramatic decision to step down from African Parks. James, commenting on the controversy, said: "When you hear about this stuff and how long it's been going on for, you should be resigning in disgrace. [Harry] should be saying: 'I'm not touching that with a barge pole. That is a failed entity. We're going nowhere near it'.
"But no. He's still saying he's going to 'support their mission'. And again this Caroline Pearce, executive director of Survival International, goes on to say: 'His departure doesn't undo that record'.
"She alleged that African Parks was aware of the abuses for years, but it was only after Survival complained to Harry that the charity finally commissioned an investigation."
James added: "Well, she's got a point."
It emerged on Monday (August 24) that Harry was no longer a board member of the wildlife charity.
The conservation organisation has admitted that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers against members of the semi-nomadic Baka group in Congo-Brazzaville.
African Parks has said since that it has improved its safeguarding processes both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and institutionally.
Its admission followed an independent human rights investigation into allegations guards managed and paid by the charity had beaten, raped and tortured indigenous people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Harry was president of the charity for six years before he became a member of its board of directors in 2023.
A spokesman for the Duke said he remains an active and avid supporter of African Parks. He added: "The Duke is proud of his 10 years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its board.
"His commitment to conservation in Africa continues and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission."
Human rights organisation, Survival International, said it had been calling on Harry to step down from African Parks for years.
The group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement: "It’s outrageous that for 10 years Prince Harry has served African Parks while the organisation has been responsible for abuse and violence against Indigenous people.
"His departure doesn't undo that record — African Parks itself must now be held accountable, and must abandon this model of fortress conservation for good."
Survival International said indigenous peoples know how best to manage their land and the idea outsiders know better is racist and colonial.
