Florida on Wednesday expanded its screwworm emergency rule to ban rescue and shelter dogs and cats from entering the state from any state with confirmed New World Screwworm detections.
Texas and New Mexico detections triggered the move, with officials saying the parasite's return to the U.S. after decades raises the risk to Florida's livestock, pets, wildlife and farm economy.
Warm-blooded animals from confirmed counties and surrounding areas also face tighter entry controls: no imports until June 12, then a movement certificate, veterinary inspection and proof of treatment will be required.
USDA and Texas are imposing quarantines and releasing sterile flies to contain the outbreak, a tactic used in the long campaign that pushed screwworm infestations to southern Mexico by 1986.
Florida eradicated a smaller 2016 Keys outbreak, but officials say northward spread from Panama since 2023 makes renewed vigilance urgent in the warm-climate state.