Iowa Secretary of Agriculture says Iowa is ready to protect against screwworm

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the state “stands ready” to protect livestock and farmers from screwworm. Naig’s statement came in a press release issued Friday, two days after the U.S. Department confirmed the nation’s first case of New World Screw Worm was detected in Texas. Screw Worm is a parasitic fly that infests and feeds on warm-blooded animals, including humans. A sample from a Texas calf was tested and confirmed to be infected by the USDA’s Veterinary Field Services Laboratories in Ames. The parasite poses no risk to food safety.