Arizona Targets Screwworm Threat | Tucson News

Tucson News Today | 2 Min Now | The Daily News Now! · Jul 1, 2026 · 1m

The University of Arizona is set to receive $3.74 million from the USDA to revamp its early warning system for the deadly New World screwworm—a parasite that once devastated the cattle industry and killed hundreds of thousands of animals. With recent cases popping up in Texas and Canada restricting U.S. cattle imports, the time to act is now. This project brings together scientists, tech experts, farmers, and ranchers to create a smarter, faster response using DNA-based diagnostics, GPS tracking, virtual fencing, and predictive risk maps—all designed to detect and contain outbreaks before…