In a development that sounds like the plot of a B-movie, the United States is fighting a flesh-eating screwworm infestation with an unlikely army: sterilised flies and sniffer dogs. And while this might seem like a distant American problem, UK biosecurity experts are watching with nerves jangling. The screwworm, a parasite that burrows into the flesh of warm-blooded animals, has already caused havoc in livestock in Florida and the Caribbean.
The American response is ingenious: they are releasing millions of sterilised male flies to mate with fertile females, rendering them unable to reproduce. It's a biological arms race, with the US Department of Agriculture even training dogs to sniff out infested animals. For Britain, the threat is not immediate but real.
The creature could hitch a ride on imported animals or in the clothing of travellers. Our biosecurity officials are on standby, knowing that a single infested animal could spark an outbreak. The human cost is already visible in the emotional distress of farmers and the economic toll on the livestock industry.
It's a reminder that in our hyperconnected world, a threat that seems far away is never really quite that far.
