Screwworm infestation continues, but cases dropping

The number of dead Key deer due to New World screwworm went up to 130 over the weekend, but medicating them is still proving to be effective, officials say.

The rate of death among the endangered deer, which grow to about 3 feet tall and are found only in the Florida Keys, has been improving ever since they began receiving treatments of antiparasitic medication doramectin in mid-October.

Whether some of the healthy deer will have to be sequestered in large enclosures to preserve the species has yet to be determined, said Sallie Gentry, public information officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“We’re still evaluating that as an option,” she said of using two temporary structures, one spanning 36 acres on Big Pine Key and another spanning 12 acres on Cudjoe Key.

So far, 1,690 deer have been treated with doramectin, which acts as treatment and a preventive medication for the worms that feed on live tissue.

Deer are also self-medicating at stations filled with a mixture of grains, oats and cracked corn. These deer live in more rural areas of the Lower Keys and may not be accessible to officers and volunteers who have been treating the deer; 238 have visited a medication station since they were put out on Oct. 29, authorities say.

Deer euthanizations have also slowed down due to the release of millions of sterile screwworm flies by the U.S. Department of Agriculture since mid-October. The belief is since the flies can’t reproduce, they’ll eventually kill the screwworm fly population.

Federal and state officials remain at a 24-hour northbound checkpoint in Key Largo at mile marker 106, which was set up to inspect all animals leaving Monroe County for signs of the parasitic fly larvae.

To date, 3,326 animals have been checked at the checkpoint. The number includes 3,067 dogs, 103 chickens, 116 cats, 13 horses, 19 parrots, three rabbits, one ape, two raccoons, a snake and a rodent. None had signs of screwworm.

County and state officials are calling on the community to help with three door-to-door outreach sessions later this month to spread the word about screwworms. The Monroe County Commission, the state Department of Health in Monroe County and the Monroe County Extension Service are partnering to host the sessions Nov. 17 and 18.

Volunteers are needed for three four-hour sessions, each of which will begin with training at the Big Pine Key Community Park meeting room. The trained volunteers will then go to neighborhoods and businesses in the community to share the screwworm information, including how to protect pets or report sick Key deer.

For more information, call (305) 742-9687 or email DOHMonroe@flhealth.gov.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Screwworm infestation continues, but cases dropping."