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US Confirms First Screwworm Case in Texas; Immediate Containment Measures Activated
🇲🇽 Mexico /Health & Science

US Confirms First Screwworm Case in Texas; Immediate Containment Measures Activated

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the first case of New World Screwworm fly infestation in Zavala County, Texas, affecting a three-week-old calf.
  • Immediate containment and eradication measures are being implemented by USDA and Texas Animal Health Commission officials.
  • These measures include establishing a quarantine zone, releasing sterile flies, and increasing surveillance along the border and in affected areas.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed the first detection of the New World Screwworm (NWS) fly within the United States, identified in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the finding via X, stating that USDA and Texas Animal Health Commission officials are taking immediate steps to contain and eradicate the pest.

In response to the detection, the USDA detailed a series of containment and eradication measures. These include forming a unified incident command team with the Texas Animal Health Commission and deploying response personnel to the area. A 20-kilometer infested zone has been established around the detection site, imposing quarantines and movement controls, alongside intensified surveillance. The agency is also accelerating the release of sterile flies, deploying ground-release cameras in addition to the 4 million sterile flies already being dispersed weekly by air.

Proteger nuestro sector ganadero es una cuestión de seguridad nacional de la máxima importancia, y el USDA no está perdiendo tiempo a la hora de tomar medidas

— Dudley HoskinsDudley Hoskins, Deputy Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, highlighted the national security implications of protecting the livestock sector.

Officials are increasing surveillance for NWS-carrying flies along the border and near the dispersion zone, implementing management strategies for wildlife, and conducting targeted outreach in the local area. Dudley Hoskins, Deputy Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, emphasized the national security importance of protecting the livestock sector, noting that while models predicted the NWS's entry in 2025, efforts under the Trump administration and with state and local partners had delayed its arrival. The USDA has invested in tools to eliminate the fly, citing previous successes in eradicating the pest in Central America and Mexico, and expressed confidence in repeating that achievement.

Estados Unidos ya ha derrotado a esta plaga anteriormente, y lo volveremos a hacer

— Dudley HoskinsDudley Hoskins expressed confidence in the U.S.'s ability to defeat the screwworm fly pest again.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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