Health Journal Online

Tag: U.S

  • U.S. Halts Animal Imports From Mexico As Flesh-Eating New World Screwworm Sparks Alarm

    U.S. Halts Animal Imports From Mexico As Flesh-Eating New World Screwworm Sparks Alarm

    The New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that harms both cattle and humans and was once eradicated from the U.S. after more than three decades of effort, is raising new concerns amid an outbreak in Mexico. In response to the looming threat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a halt on imports of cattle, bison, and horses through the southern border.

    The New World screwworm produces larvae that feed on the flesh and blood of livestock, pets, wildlife, birds, and, in some cases, humans, causing painful infestations that can lead to potentially fatal damage to their hosts. It was eradicated in the U.S. in 1966 after billions of dollars were spent on an operation that involved releasing hundreds of millions of sterile adult flies, which would mate with wild females and ultimately prevent them from laying viable eggs.

    The recent threat emerged after the maggot fly was detected on remote farms in Mexico with minimal cattle movement, reaching as far north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 700 miles from the U.S. border.

    “Due to the threat of New World Screwworm, I am announcing the suspension of live cattle, horse, & bison imports through U.S. southern border ports of entry effective immediately. The last time this devastating pest invaded America, it took 30 years for our cattle industry to recover. This cannot happen again,” the USDA Secretary, Brooke Rollins, announced in an X post.

    The first case of infestation in Mexico was reported to the U.S. in November 2024, following which the USDA shut down the border for live animal trade. Trade resumed in February 2025, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Mexican authorities put in place a thorough inspection and treatment process to safely manage animal movement and reduce the risk of New World screwworm.

    The USDA announced that APHIS is deploying sterile flies by air and on the ground at key sites, focusing on southern Mexico and other parts of Central America.

    “The protection of our animals and the safety of our nation’s food supply is a national security issue of the utmost importance. Once we see increased surveillance and eradication efforts, and the positive results of those actions, we remain committed to opening the border for livestock trade. This is not about politics or punishment of Mexico, rather it is about food and animal safety,” Secretary Rollins said in a news release.

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  • Kansas Tuberculosis Outbreak That Killed Two, Sickened Dozens, Among Largest In U.S. History

    Kansas Tuberculosis Outbreak That Killed Two, Sickened Dozens, Among Largest In U.S. History

    A tuberculosis outbreak that has gripped Kansas for nearly a year, claiming two lives and infecting dozens, is among one of the largest in U.S. history.

    As of Jan. 24, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 67 confirmed cases of active tuberculosis, along with 79 latent infections. However, health officials confirm there is no threat to the general public.

    “To date, most TB cases have been in Wyandotte County, with very low risk to the general public, including the surrounding counties,” the health officials from Kansas state said in a statement.

    Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs and spreads through the air when a symptomatic infected person talks, coughs, or sings. TB can take two forms: active and latent. In its active stage, it triggers a persistent cough, lasting for three weeks or longer, coughing up blood or phlegm, along with chest pain, fatigue, chills, night sweats, fever, and weight loss. In its latent stage, the bacteria remain dormant, causing no symptoms, and there is no risk of transmission. However, if not treated, the latent stage can progress into active TB.

    Both inactive tuberculosis (latent TB infection) and active TB disease are treatable, but they require different approaches. Treatment involves a combination of antibiotics taken over several months, with regimens lasting three, four, six, or even nine months, depending on the severity of the infection and the specific treatment plan.

    In 2023, TB claimed an estimated 1.25 million lives and has regained its title as the world’s deadliest infection caused by a single pathogen. As per the CDC data, there were a total of 8,700 cases of tuberculosis in the U.S. last year.

    Kansas health officials have described the recent tuberculosis outbreak reported since January 2024 as the largest documented in U.S. history since the CDC began tracking cases in the 1950s. However, the CDC has disputed that claim, pointing to at least two larger outbreaks in recent years. One of the most severe occurred between 2015 and 2017 in Georgia homeless shelters, where the disease spread rapidly, leading to more than 170 active TB cases and over 400 latent infections. Another major outbreak in 2021 was linked to contaminated tissue used in bone transplants, infecting 113 patients across the country.

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  • New Chemical Identified In U.S. Tap Water, Scientists Urge Investigation Into Its Toxicity

    New Chemical Identified In U.S. Tap Water, Scientists Urge Investigation Into Its Toxicity

    Scientists have identified a new chemical byproduct in tap water consumed by millions of Americans, solving a decades-long mystery. This compound, formed during water purification with chloramine, raises health concerns for roughly 113 million people and warrants further investigation into its potential toxicity.

    Chloramine is a disinfectant created by combining chlorine with ammonia. It is preferred over chlorine in many water treatment systems due to its greater stability, which results in lower levels of disinfectant byproducts compared to chlorine.

    Although researchers first noted the unidentified chemical byproduct in tap water treated with chloramine nearly 40 years ago, its exact details were not known. In a recent study published in Science, scientists used advanced analytical methods to uncover its structure, which is now officially named chloronitramide anion.

    The researchers detected chloronitramide anion in all 40 samples taken from 10 drinking water systems located in seven states. It was not seen in ultrapure water, or drinking water treated without chlorine-based disinfectants.

    “It’s well recognized that when we disinfect drinking water, there is some toxicity that’s created. Chronic toxicity, really. A certain number of people may get cancer from drinking water over several decades. But we haven’t identified what chemicals are driving that toxicity. A major goal of our work is to identify these chemicals and the reaction pathways through which they form,” Julian Fairey, first co-author on the paper said in a news release.

    The study represents a significant breakthrough, as it successfully identified chloronitramide anion and determined its structure.

    “It’s a very stable chemical with a low molecular weight. It’s a very difficult chemical to find. The hardest part was identifying it and proving it was the structure we were saying it was,” Fairey noted.

    Although the toxicity of chloronitramide anion remains uncertain, researchers have raised concerns due to its widespread presence and structural similarities to other toxic compounds. They stress the need for further investigation by academics and regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

    “Even if it is not toxic, finding it can help us understand the pathways for how other compounds are formed, including toxins. If we know how something is formed, we can potentially control it,” Fairey added.

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