USDA issues new import restrictions for certain animals from Honduras

Photo: Lingkon Serao/Adobe Stock

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a new temporary restriction on the importation of animal commodities originating from or transiting Honduras, effective September 12, 2024. A New World screwworm (NWS) diagnosis in a horse led to the recent restriction.

Per the announcement, the APHIS has banned the import of ruminants and swine from Honduras.¹ The import of pet dogs, hedgehogs, tenrecs, elephants, hippos, rhinos, and tapirs from Honduras is permitted, however. These animals must be accompanied by a certificate signed by a full-time veterinary official in the region of origin, according to the USDA announcement.¹ Moreover, the certificate must confirm that the animal was inspected for screwworm within 5 days before its shipment to the US and that it is either free of screwworm or, if previously infested with screwworm, was quarantined and treated until cleared of the infestation before leaving the region.

“Horses imported directly from Honduras must complete and adhere to the established import screwworm protocol,” wrote the APHIS in its announcement.¹ This protocol consists of a minimum quarantine period of 7 days upon arrival. The APHIS allows for a shorter quarantine period of 3 days upon arrival for horses that live in a screwworm-free country for a minimum of 7 days, immediately prior to being exported to the US.

The APHIS states that shipment must include health certificates from all locations visited in the 60 days prior to export. Moreover, a screwworm certification from a licensed veterinarian in the exporting country is necessary. The document must certify that the horse was examined and found free of screwworm after a stay of at least 7 days in a country.¹

Honduras joins a list of more than 60 countries affected by screwworm with import restrictions. Among those are Cuba, Laos, Tanzania, Argentina, Costa Rica, South Africa, Singapore, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and more.²

About New World screwworm

A NWS infestation happens when the larvae of the NWS fly, cochliomyia hominivorax, invade the tissues of living mammals by burrowing themselves into wounds, feeding on the animal’s living tissue. These larvae will occasionally infest the flesh of birds as well.³ The USDA eradicated NWS from the US in 1966 through a method called sterile insect technique, which involves releasing sterile flies into the wild to interrupt their breeding cycle, according to the agency. However, the risk of NWS being reintroduced into the US is still a threat today, as NWS endemic to Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and various South American countries.³

If left untreated, NWS can cause serious and potentially fatal harm to affected animals. Signs of a NWS infestation in mammals or birds include the following³:

• Irritated behavior
• Head shaking
• A smell of decay
• Evidence of fly strike
• Presence of maggots in wounds

References

1. Import alert: New World screwworm restrictions for animal commodities originating from or transiting Honduras. News release. United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. September 18, 2024. Accessed September 18, 2024. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/3b685b4
2. Animal Health Status of Regions. United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. September 18, 2024. Accessed September 18, 2024. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/regionalization-evaluation-services/region-health-status
3. New World screwworm. United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. August 8, 2024. Accessed September 18, 2024. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/cattle/ticks/screwworm