Jeremy J. Radachowski
WCS Regional Director for Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
Recent outbreak worm-worm in Central America and Mexico it is a warning we can’t ignore. This destructive parasite affects both animals and humanswas virtually eradicated from northern Colombia thanks to decades of coordinated efforts and a natural barrier in the form of the Darien Gap. However, from 2023 we are seeing explosion of casesincreasing from 25 per year to more than 50,000 accumulated cases in Central America and Mexico in one year, with devastating consequences for the entire region.
Flash expanded from Panama to Mexico, following illegal livestock smuggling routes through Central America. Recent cases in La Libertad, Guatemala, and Catasaja, Chiapas, confirm what many experts suspected: the spread of mealyworm is not just a health crisis, but a direct consequence of illegal livestock smuggling.
Problem path
It has been proven that cattle raised in indigenous territories and protected areas such as Indio Maiz and Bosawas are being imported into Nicaragua. illegally enter the official market by counterfeiting or recycling identification earrings.. These animals, often emaciated and sick, are transported without sanitary control, which contributes to the spread of lichen and other diseases.
From Nicaragua, smuggling routes cross borders Honduras, Guatemala and Mexicoalong well-known roads: Patuca National Park in Honduras, the departments of Izabal and Peten in Guatemala and, finally, Chiapas. This illegal trade is multi-billion dollar industry allegedly controlled transnational criminal networksincluding drug cartels such as Sinaloa and the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel.
What can be done?
Try to contain the worm outbreak using traditional methods such as release of sterile insects or sanitary fencesit will be inadequate while Mexico’s southern border remains open to illegal livestock smuggling. This trade not only threatens the legal livestock industry and public health, it also jeopardizes ecosystems in danger and the rural communities that depend on them.
It should be noted that National Confederation of Livestock Organizations (CNOG), which represents 700,000 Mexican ranchers, has already publicly stated its support to stop this smuggling. This support from livestock farmers highlights the urgent need to protect the formal sector and guarantee animal health in the country.
For this reason, WCS calls on the President Claudia Sheinbaum and the governments of Central America and the United States strengthen border controls and eliminate smuggling networks. This will require unprecedented international cooperation, including investment in monitoring technology, strengthening customs capacity and, above all, a comprehensive strategy to counter the criminal groups that benefit from this trade.
Closing the border to livestock smuggling is not just an animal health issue; It’s a need to protect economy, safety And forests of our region.
Source: Aristegui Noticias
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
