Screwworms eating living flesh – not just another Halloween tale

Operation Enduring Freedom was the response of the US to the attacks on New York and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001. It was the first major emergency-planned military action by the US in most of our lifetimes. Protection of military personnel from insect-vectored diseases in Afghanistan and Southwest Asia was quickly determined to be a priority and the infrastructure for preventive medicine was challenged and ultimately proven effective. Entomologists were a big part of the success, showing that monitoring and response could provide efficient vector control under demanding conditions.