25Mar 26
We are excited to announce that Screwworm Free Future has joined the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research. Screwworm Free Future is a non-profit initiative coordinating hemispheric control of the New World Screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) through science education, research partnerships, and policy engagement.
The New World screwworm (NWS) is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals – causing devastating suffering and almost certain mortality without medical intervention. Once endemic to almost every country in the Americas, a series of eradication campaigns over the 20th century – using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) – successfully established a “biological barrier” at the Darién Gap in Panama, gradually removing the insect from North and Central America. In 2024, the barrier failed and the NWS is again present as far north as the Mexican border with the United States, prompting renewed alarm and attention. South America and much of the Caribbean, meanwhile, have yet to mount large-scale control efforts, although new tools under development – including genetic biocontrol – offer emerging possibilities. The NWS affects a variety of farmed animals, such as cows, sheep, horses, and goats, but also domestic animals, like dogs, as well as wildlife.
While primarily a veterinary concern, it carries a documented zoonotic risk, with human cases reported in affected areas, including in the most recent outbreak in Central America. Beyond its direct health impact, the New World screwworm poses a significant threat to global and local food supplies, as well as regional economic stability.
Screwworm Free Future works at the intersection of animal and human health, agricultural economics, and emerging biotechnology, bringing together governments, industry, scientists, and multilateral institutions around the shared goal of continental-scale control of the flesh-eating parasite. Their team spans South America and Europe, with institutional partnerships across the Americas. To learn more about Screwworm Free Future’s work and stay updated with their latest news, you can visit their website.
