{"id":567,"date":"2026-06-08T22:31:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T22:31:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanantoniomovingreport.com\/?p=567"},"modified":"2026-06-08T22:31:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T22:31:33","slug":"texas-confirms-5-new-world-screwworm-cases-as-federal-response-intensifies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanantoniomovingreport.com\/?p=567","title":{"rendered":"Texas confirms 5 New World screwworm cases as federal response intensifies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Federal officials have confirmed three additional cases of New World screwworm in Texas, bringing the state\u2019s total to five confirmed detections in less than a week.<\/p>\n

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The latest cases involve a calf in La Salle County, about 90 miles southwest of San Antonio and roughly 50 miles from the Mexican border; a dog identified in Andrews County in West Texas near the New Mexico border; and a goat in Gillespie County in the Texas Hill Country, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.<\/p>\n

Officials said the dog came from a household in Lea County, New Mexico, and had recently been in Mexico. Investigators have not concluded that screwworm flies naturally spread to Andrews County, and the infestation may have occurred before the animal entered Texas.<\/p>\n

New World screwworm is a flesh-eating parasite that was eradicated from the United States in the 1960s. Female flies lay eggs in open wounds or body openings of warm-blooded animals. When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow into living tissue, causing severe wounds that can be fatal if left untreated.<\/p>\n

The pest primarily threatens cattle and other livestock but can also infest wildlife, pets and, in rare cases, people.<\/p>\n

Officials say the concern is not the number of infected animals alone but the potential for the fly to become established and spread rapidly. Texas is home to the nation\u2019s largest cattle industry, and an outbreak could cause significant economic damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past week, USDA has identified and expeditiously confronted confirmed detections of New World screwworm,\u201d USDA Under Secretary Dudley Hoskins said in a statement. \u201cWe need the partnership of animal owners across the region \u2014 please stay vigilant, check your animals closely, and report anything that looks suspicious.\u201d<\/p>\n

USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission said 75 personnel are actively responding on the ground, with additional support focused on diagnostics, logistics, surveillance and outreach. Officials have established quarantine zones around confirmed cases and are increasing trapping and monitoring efforts.<\/p>\n

The agency also announced that sterile fly release operations will begin this week from Moore Air Base in Edinburg. Releasing millions of sterile flies is considered the primary tool for eradicating screwworm populations by preventing reproduction.<\/p>\n

Despite the heightened response from state and federal officials, awareness on the ground appeared limited when Texas Public Radio visited La Pryor, the town nearest the Zavala County ranch where one of the first Texas screwworm cases was confirmed last week. Some residents said they had seen reports about screwworm on social media, while others said they knew little about the pest.<\/p>\n

For ranchers in South Texas, the threat feels immediate. Christian Biedenharn, who ranches in La Salle County, said producers are closely monitoring their herds and want additional resources deployed quickly.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe need those quarantine zones, and we actually have a methodology to treat them in terms of sterilization of those flies,\u201d Biedenharn told TPR. \u201cWe need funding and we need to be able to deploy those flies as fast as possible. We kind of need all-the-above strategies right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The United States currently relies on sterile screwworm flies produced in Panama and Mexico. A sterile fly production facility is under construction in South Texas but is not expected to be operational until next year.<\/p>\n

In San Antonio, the city\u2019s Animal Care Services and Metropolitan Health District referred questions about screwworm preparedness and response efforts to state animal health officials.<\/p>\n

Speaking on \u201cThe Source,\u201d Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said the ongoing coordination among local, state and federal agencies demonstrates the importance of investing in public health and agricultural infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why you invest in things like public health and USDA,\u201d Ortiz Jones said. \u201cIt\u2019s instances like this that remind us why we need to have public faith in government institutions and invest in the infrastructure that allows us to monitor impacts not only to animals, but also to our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins was scheduled to visit Kerrville on Monday afternoon for a briefing on the state\u2019s screwworm response at the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory. Rollins was expected to appear alongside federal and state animal health officials to discuss containment and eradication efforts.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the visit, Rollins announced that President Donald Trump had appointed San Antonio businessman and Texas A&M Regent John Bellinger as USDA\u2019s Senior Advisor for New World Screwworm Preparedness. Bellinger, a longtime cattle industry and food safety executive, will advise the agency as it expands efforts to contain and eradicate the pest.<\/p>\n

USDA is urging livestock and pet owners to watch for draining wounds, maggots, unusual lesions or signs of discomfort and report suspected cases immediately to a veterinarian or animal health authorities.<\/p>\n

The agency said the U.S. food supply remains safe because New World screwworm does not infest meat or other food products, and that affected animals would be identified during federal inspection and would not enter the food supply. <\/p>\n

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This\u00a0<\/i>story first appeared at Texas Public Radio.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A total of five cases of New World screwworm have been detected in Texas. 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