Arkansas Implementing Animal Entry Requirements to Prevent Screwworm Spread

By:Ainsley Platt, Arkansas Advocate

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that warm-blooded animals from states with confirmed New World screwworm detections — including household pets — cannot enter the Natural State without a recent veterinary inspection.

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Animals entering Arkansas from an infested zone “will be restricted according to established federal NWS (New World Screwworm) guidance,” the department said in a press release. A state entry permit will also be required.

The state agriculture department said its federal counterpart confirmed additional screwworm cases in Texas and New Mexico. No screwworm detections have been reported in Arkansas as of Wednesday.

Infested zones are established as areas with a 12.4-mile radius surrounding a location where a confirmed screwworm case was identified.

“All warm‑blooded animals entering Arkansas from an infested state (but not from an Infested Zone) must be accompanied by an Interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (iCVI) dated within 7 days of entry,” the state agriculture department said. “The certificate must include the statement: ‘All animals in shipment were inspected and found free of evidence of NWS infestation.’”

The parasitic New World screwworm fly is a “devastating pest” that can affect livestock in particular, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Typically found in South America and parts of the Caribbean, the fly began migrating north in 2023 after being eradicated from the U.S. six decades ago.

The fly was detected in Texas on June 3.

While the screwworm is mostly known for its harm to livestock, it can infest wounds on any warm-blooded animal, such as dogs, cats or even humans. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported 12 cases of screwworm, including one in a dog in New Mexico. All other cases were found on livestock in Texas.

Animal owners should keep an eye on “wounds that fail to heal, foul-smelling discharge, tissue damage, or visible maggots in or around a wound,” the Arkansas agriculture department said. “These symptoms can progress quickly, so prompt attention is critical.”