The return of the New World screwworm has triggered one of the most intensive animal-health responses seen in North America for decades. From AI-assisted surveillance systems and enhanced border monitoring to livestock movement permits and the mass release of sterile flies, authorities are deploying a sophisticated toolkit to prevent the flesh-eating parasite from establishing itself once again.

The screwworm, which can kill livestock and other warm-blooded animals by feeding on their flesh, was recently detected in the US for the first time in over 40 years

Earlier this month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told residents to brace themselves for an “extraordinarily challenging summer.” A flesh-eating parasite that did hundreds of millions of…