USDA Reports 4 Texas Screwworm Cases, Commits $750 Million to New Sterile-Fly Plant
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Jun 8
USDA Reports 4 Texas Screwworm Cases, Commits $750 Million to New Sterile-Fly Plant
3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jun 8
Summary
Four New World screwworm cases have now been identified in South Texas — two announced Monday, including one in a dog, after earlier detections in calves.
The USDA is responding by funding a $750 million Texas facility to produce about 300 million sterile screwworms a week, reviving the eradication strategy that once pushed the pest south of Panama.
That plant will not open until late 2027 at the earliest, leaving the U.S. reliant for now on existing releases as officials race to prevent wider spread.
The flesh-eating blowfly can kill untreated livestock and other warm-blooded animals, and USDA estimates a broad Texas outbreak could cost the state about $1.8 billion a year.
The resurgence follows a northward spread that began in 2023 after decades of containment, and some researchers are now debating whether the species should eventually be driven to extinction.