The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated a formal emergency response to the New World screwworm on Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed, after the parasitic fly was found in cattle for the first time in decades.

The Department of Agriculture is leading the response on the animal side by monitoring cattle and livestock and dispersing sterile flies to control the spread of the screwworm.

The CDC is planning for potential human exposure, and the emergency measures are an indication the agency is investigating the outbreak, akin to small natural disasters or environmental responses.

The declaration is an example of the Trump administration’s whole of government approach, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday.

“The CDC is just one more step in the right direction that allows us to deploy more resources at the federal level,” Rollins told reporters in Texas.

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