USDA Confirms 1st U.S. Screwworm Case Since 1960s, Quarantines 20-Kilometer Texas Zone
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 4
USDA Confirms 1st U.S. Screwworm Case Since 1960s, Quarantines 20-Kilometer Texas Zone
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 4
Summary
A 3-week-old calf in La Pryor, Texas, tested positive for New World screwworm, marking the first U.S. cattle case since the pest was eradicated domestically in the 1960s.
The Agriculture Department said the flesh-eating parasite had been moving north through Mexico, where more than 20,000 cases have been detected and cattle imports to the United States have already been halted for over a year.
A 20-kilometer infested-zone quarantine now restricts movement of warm-blooded animals from the area, while federal and Texas officials deploy veterinarians, increase surveillance and try to contain the outbreak to the single case.
Millions of sterile screwworm flies are being released by air and truck — the only current control method — as officials warn wider spread could severely damage the U.S. cattle industry.
Only one plant in Panama now makes about 100 million sterile flies a week; a new $750 million Texas facility is due to start producing 100 million weekly in late 2027.