Ministry Suspects Screwworm Fly Travelled to Belize from Guatemala  

On Thursday, a screwworm case popped up in Crique Sarco village, Toledo District, causing quite a stir. Since October, over two hundred and thirty-five technical experts have been trained in preventing and controlling New World screwworms, and four hundred and twenty-five farms and homes have been inspected for thChannel 5 Belizeese pesky pests. Belize had been free of any outbreak signs until now. The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that last week’s infestation was limited to just one animal on a southern Belize farm, which has since been treated. Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abelardo Mai, shared insights on where they believe the outbreak originated.

 

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture

“How did the worms get there and Dr. Alvarez explained that it’s a fly and it flies distances. The team on the ground is doing a thorough investigation. So far, we will show you right now where the, where the case was found. There is no direct contact with the community in Guatemala, eleven miles away from Crique Sarco. For there is no connection, no road. So, if you look on the map, you will see Crique Sarco and, you look way at the, down at the corner where Belize and Guatemala meet. That, that area there is where Modesto is. That’s the last case found in Guatemala sometime last week. So, the distance between these two communities is eleven miles. So, there’s no road that leads directly from Modesto Mendez to Crique Sarco. And that is why we are assuming that the fly may have flown in from Guatemala into Belize. If you look on the Guatemala territory, south of the Sarstoon, all the cleared area you see there is all farmland. They’re all farms. So we have to assume there is a population of fertile flies, and one of them may have found his way into Belize. If you look where Crique Sarco is, it is central, Southern Toledo.  And so that is why we’re assuming that the fly had to fly into Belizean territory and found an open wound. And that is where we have the case today.”