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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the detection of a New World screwworm (NWS) in a bovine in Zavala County, Texas. NWS is a serious pest that affects livestock, pets, wildlife, and less commonly, people and birds. NWS larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing serious damage to livestock and economic losses.
The affected animal is a 3-week-old calf and larvae were identified in its umbilical area. To date, there have been no further detections.
USDA and Texas officials are taking immediate action to contain and eradicate NWS from the United States, following the strategies and actions outlined in the NWS Response Playbook. This includes:
- Forming a unified Incident Command Team with the Texas Animal Health Commission and deploying response personnel to the area;
- Establishing a 20 km infested zone around the detection and implementing quarantines, movement controls, and surveillance in this area;
- Expediting targeted release of sterile NWS flies by immediately deploying ground release chambers in the area, in addition to the 4 million sterile flies per week already being released aerially in the area;
- Increasing trapping for NWS flies along the border and just outside of the dispersal area;
- Implementing NWS surveillance and management strategies in wildlife; and
- Conducting targeted outreach in the local area.
Additionally, USDA’s National Veterinary Stockpile stands ready to assist and will provide resources including treatments, equipment, and logistics support the response as needed.
USDA will continue to work with state departments of agriculture, animal health officials, industry, and producers to mitigate economic impacts of restrictions as much as possible, including negotiating with our trading partners to regionalize any trade restrictions on live animals, limiting them to defined geographic areas.
The U.S. food supply is safe. Screwworms do not infest meat, fruits, vegetables, or other food sources. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ensures that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe and properly labeled. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), FSIS inspection personnel must inspect all eligible animal species unless they are exempt or covered by a state inspection program.
June 3, 2026/ USDA/ United States.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov
