As a result of the successful screwworm eradication programs, Mexico was declared free of Screwworms in February 1991.  Guatemala and Belize were declared screwworm-free in May 1994, El Salvador in June 1995, Honduras in August 1996, Nicaragua in 1999, Costa Rica in 2000 and Panama was declared free of Screwworm in 2006.

The program for the Eradication of the Screwworm in Panama is part of the USDA Regional Plan that the United States government developed for Central America.

In 1994 Panama-USDA agreement was signed that created the Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm (COPEG). The Panama – United States Commission for the Prevention of Foot and Mouth Disease (COPFA) was incorporated into COPEG.

Under the agreement a sterile fly rearing facility was to be constructed and the site was designated in Felipillo, Pacora which is close to the site for the construction of the Center for Dispersion of Sterile Flies in Tocumen International Airport.  Construction of the new rearing facility started in 2004 with a 40 million dollar proposed budget in which  the U.S. is contributing 90% and Panama 10%.

McKinney and Company of Ashland, Virginia is managing the construction through its Panamanian office, McKinney International.  Panamanian companies have been awarded contracts, employing between 200-250 workers with 25% of the work force coming from Pacora.

The building complies with the International Building Code of 2000 (IBC 2000), the strictest international construction code and McKinney designers applied the most strictest requirements for health and safety aspects of the building design.

One of the most critical elements of the project is the construction of the treatment facility for water and waste which is the only one in existence in Central America.

COPEG and McKinney built a state of the art complex that will stand for generations to come. The plant was inaugurated on July 12, 2006 while declaring Panama as free of SCW.