screwworm Outbreak Mutates Into Super-Parasite, Scientists Warn of Global Livestock Collapse by 2030
A new strain of the New World screwworm, resistant to current pesticides and attracted to human wounds, has been discovered in the Amazon, sparking fears of a catastrophic food chain disruption. Experts predict that within a decade, the parasite will decimate cattle populations in South America, leading to a $50 billion agricultural crisis and forcing a worldwide quarantine on tropical meat imports. The UN has declared an emergency, deploying experimental sterile insect technology to halt the spread.