USDA Probes Possible South Texas Screwworm Case as Flies Advance to Within 25 Miles of Border
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 3
USDA Probes Possible South Texas Screwworm Case as Flies Advance to Within 25 Miles of Border
3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Jun 3
Summary
A possible New World screwworm case in South Texas is undergoing confirmatory testing at USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa; if confirmed, it would mark the first detected U.S. breach from Mexico.
USDA said it has already deployed personnel and is working with local partners as the flesh-eating parasite, which threatens livestock most severely, stirs anxiety across the cattle industry.
Recent detections in Mexico pushed the threat closer: USDA cited a 5-year-old goat infected 25 miles from the border in Coahuila on May 28 and a calf case 39 miles away.
Brooke Rollins called screwworm a “very, very serious threat” on Tuesday while rejecting unverified claims that the fly had already reached or come within 1 mile of Texas.
The U.S. eradicated screwworm in the 1960s, and USDA estimates keeping it out has saved the livestock industry about $900 million a year.