screwworm Outbreak in Florida Keys Threatens Tourism and Livestock Industries
A rapidly spreading screwworm infestation in the Florida Keys has prompted a state of emergency, as the flesh-eating parasite jeopardizes the region’s $2.7 billion tourism economy and its cattle and deer populations. Officials warn that the outbreak, the first in the U.S. in decades, could devastate local agriculture if aerial sterilized fly releases fail to contain the spread.