PANAMA PACIFICO, Panama –
A sterile insect technique irradiator arrived in Panama and was redirected in response to support the U.S. in the New World Screwworm threat under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on July 8, 2026 in the Panama Canal, Panama. The effort highlights the importance of international partnerships in addressing threats that cross borders and affect animal health, agriculture and communities.
NWS is a parasite that comes from a fly that lays its eggs in the flesh of warm blooded animals. “The larvae, or maggots, burrow in and feast on the flesh”, said Jon O’Rullian, president of the Foss Therapy Services, Incorporated, the company who manufactures the irradiators. “ It's very important to any sort of livestock producer.”
Originally, the irradiator was built for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Sterile Insect Technique program and was destined for Paraguay to support fruit fly control efforts. With an immediate need for this specialized equipment in the United States, the irradiator is made available to support U.S. efforts, as producing a new machine can take between nine months and a year, said O’Rullian.
DARPA, with the permission of the IAEA, is allowed access to the irradiator on July 8, to use it to help fight the New World screw worm in the United States, O’Rullian said. After acquiring it, DARPA ran into the problem of moving it out of the port. Panamanian partners stepped up and were able to help DARPA in getting the irradiator moved out of the boat port.
“They were very instrumental in getting this irradiator from the boat port to the airport,” said O’Rullian. “That was the hardest part of this whole thing.”
Following several weeks of coordination and transportation arrangements, the irradiator arrived at Panama Pacifico International Airport on July 23. On Aug. 23, a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 21st Airlift Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, California, arrived to move the equipment to the United States.
“International cooperation is incredibly important,” said O’Rullian. When it comes to protecting public health and preventing economic and agricultural distress, it’s critical that nations work together in prevention efforts. From Panama to the United States, the movement of one irradiator demonstrates how international cooperation can help protect livelihoods, economies and communities from threats that know no borders.