US confirms second New World screwworm case in Texas as Canada bans livestock from the state to contain the flesh-eating pest.
WASHINGTON: The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Friday it had detected a second case of a dangerous livestock pest in Texas, while Canada introduced a temporary ban on livestock from the state.
The new incidence of the New World screwworm (NWS), whose flesh-eating larvae can kill cattle, was detected in a calf in south Texas about 5.5 miles (nine kilometers) from the first one, which was reported Thursday, the department said on X.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a “statewide disaster declaration” later Friday, as authorities scrambled to keep the pest from spreading.
Texas has established a 12-mile quarantine zone, meaning all warm-blooded animals including pets must be inspected before leaving the area.
Canada temporarily banned any livestock that had been in Texas in the past 21 days from entering the country, its Food Inspection Agency said in a news release.
The NWS fly was thought to be eradicated in the United States in 1966. But Florida experienced an outbreak in 2016 that primarily impacted deer and was eliminated the following year, according to the department.
The fly has remained present in South America, and in recent years has moved northward.
The first of these new cases, detected near the border with Mexico, has triggered alarm among ranchers, in particular those who raise cattle.
The flies lay their eggs in open wounds or mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals, where they hatch into larvae and feed on flesh. Left untreated, the infestation can be deadly, and the parasites can quickly spread.
The pest can also affect wild animals, pets and even people.
The fly had been eradicated in the United States thanks in large part by dropping millions of sterile flies to mate with wild females.
US officials said some four million sterile flies are now being released weekly from the sky, and that some four million more in the pupal stage were being deployed in ground release chambers.
A USDA study last year estimated a screwworm resurgence in Texas could cost the state’s economy $1.8 billion.
