USDA has confirmed two more cases of New World screwworm in Texas and another in a dog in New Mexico, bringing to five the number of detections since the first two cases were announced last week.
The latest cases are in a calf in La Salle County, Texas, a dog in Lea County, New Mexico, and a goat in Gillespie County, Texas.
“Epidemiological investigations are ongoing for both cases,” a department press release says. “A veterinarian in Andrews County submitted the samples from the infested dog. Details on this case will be shared as they are available, but early reports indicate the dog was recently in Mexico.”
Regarding the goat, "USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission are working as quickly as possible to gather additional details about the case, establish surveillance and testing in the area, and share outreach materials and information," an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service press release issued Monday says.
On Friday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for Zavala and Uvalde counties. Uvalde borders Zavala to the north.
Larvae of the NWS “burrow into the living tissue of animals, causing severe wounds, animal suffering, and significant economic losses,” the release notes.
Officials say they’re working both to contain the spread of the fly, which has been creeping northward for some time, and “to eradicate the pest entirely,” said Dudley Hoskins, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs.
Cut through the clutter! We deliver the news you need to stay informed about farm, food and rural issues. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse here.
“We need the partnership of animal owners across the region – please stay vigilant, check your animals closely, and report anything that looks suspicious. Together, we can protect our livestock, our communities, and the health of animals nationwide,” Hoskins said.
USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) have 75 people “actively responding on the ground and hundreds of additional people around the country providing laboratory diagnostics, logistics, treatment distribution, air operations, outreach, operational planning, and resource support for the response,” the USDA release says. “APHIS and TAHC will continue to surge additional trained personnel as needed to ensure an effective response.”
“USDA continues to release sterile flies over and just outside of the infested areas,” the release said. “To ensure sterile fly release operations can be deployed to affected areas in Texas and in northern Mexico near the border as quickly and efficiently as possible, USDA has activated the sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas. Sterile pupae arrived at the facility on Friday, and aerial dispersal flights originating from the base will begin tomorrow.”
Each new case triggers a series of actions by USDA and TAHC.
- Establishing and maintaining a 20km infested zone with quarantines, movement controls, and heightened surveillance around confirmed detections
- Increasing trapping along the border and outside the dispersal zone
- Conducting surveillance and management strategies in wildlife
- Implementing targeted outreach to local producers, veterinarians, and communities
Also on June 8, Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the appointment of John Bellinger as the new Senior Adviser for New World Screwworm Preparedness. "In this role, Bellinger will integrate into USDA’s team to help further drive its robust effort to explore all available technologies to combat the New World Screwworm," the department's news release says.
Bellinger currently serves on the Texas A&M Board of Regents after being appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023. He is chair of the Committee on Research.
He is the CEO of Agri-West International, a food exporting company, as well as Bellinger Development. He also is the former chairman of the U.S. Meat Export Federation and the Southwest Meat Association.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.
This article has been updated with corrected information from USDA on the location of the dog, and the new detection of NWS in the goat.
