America’s Never-Ending Battle Against Flesh-Eating Worms

I haven’t had the sensation of being both fascinated and grossed out in equal measure, at the same time before. But that’s what it felt like, reading this amazing article by Sarah Zhang entitled “America’s Never-Ending Battle Against Flesh-Eating Worms”.

I had never really heard of screwworms, and the danger they pose (across multiple countries) was news to me. The actual details of how they harm livestock (and well, any warm-blooded animal really) are definitely disturbing. But the lengths to which we are fighting against screwworms is nothing short of jaw-dropping.

Let me share a few quotations from the article. The first describes activity along the Panama-Colombia border:

And this, describing the author’s visit to the screwworm rearing facility:

This is some incredible reporting, and I’m in awe of both the breadth and scope of the effort to keep screwworms at bay. There’s a part of me that’s both relieved and terrified that such an effort exists.

[illustration by Cornelia Li, via MetaFilter]

Related:
The Worms Crawl In, the Worms Crawl Out
Buzzing and Alarms