A second case of the flesh‑eating New World screwworm has been confirmed in Texas, only miles from the Mexican border, prompting Canada to shut its border to Texas livestock and Governor Greg Abbott to declare a state of disaster over what he warns is an “imminent threat.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Friday that a second infestation of screwworm larvae had been found in a calf in Zavala County, Texas. The second finding took place on the ranch near the Texas-Mexico border, about 5.6 miles from the case found earlier this week. The discovery of the second incident of the flesh-eating screwworm prompted Governor Abbott to issue a disaster declaration and apply additional state resources to combat the outbreak.
In a statement on Friday, Governor Abbott stated:
First, I authorize the use of all available resources of state government to respond to this disaster and reassign resources from across the state as needed to address NWS. Second, I am making all state personnel available to accelerate the movement of sterile flies into Texas and the construction of the new sterile screwworm production facility in Edinburg. We have eradicated this pest before, and we will do it again.
Canada’s food inspection agency announced a temporary ban on livestock imports from Texas on Friday. The ban applies to cattle and horses that were located in Texas within the past 21 days, the BBC reported. Canadian officials noted that a screwworm outbreak in Canada is unlikely due to the cold climate.
Earlier this week, Breitbart Texas’s Randy Clark reported on the first incident of a New World Screwworm infestation since a warning was issued in February. The discovery came in Zavala County, located near the Texas-Mexico border.
In February, Breitbart Texas reported warnings from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and Governor Abbott about the coming threat to the Texas livestock industry. “This will impact everybody in some form,” Commissioner Miller told Breitbart Texas in an exclusive interview. “Livestock, wildlife, pets — even people. Ranchers, deer hunters, pet owners — get ready.”
“We’ve got swarms of screwworm flies 187 miles south of the Rio Grande, and it’s winter,” Miller told the San Jacinto County Republican Party during a Reagan/Trump dinner in February. “We shouldn’t have any active flies right now, but it’s been a mild winter. If they’re active in the middle of winter, look out when spring or early summer gets here.”
With the arrival of warmer temperatures in June, Miller’s prediction, unfortunately, has come to reality.
Miller reacted to this week’s outbreak, saying, “For months, the screwworm has advanced rapidly through Mexico in spite of the USDA’s existing game plan.”
The Texas Ag Commissioner has been critical of the USDA’s more passive approach of releasing sterile flies in Mexico to stop the spread. The commissioner prefers a more aggressive program of using bait to kill the flies that spread the screwworm larvae.
Miller told Breitbart that Texas has tools that weren’t widely available during the last U.S. screwworm outbreak in the 1970s, including modern antiparasitic medications that can help protect livestock and pets. “Farmers know these products. They’re readily available,” he said, urging Texans to consult veterinarians for proper use.
The New World screwworm is a flesh‑eating parasitic fly whose larvae infest any warm‑blooded animal, including livestock, wildlife, pets, and, in rare cases, humans. The adult fly seeks out open wounds, cuts, surgical sites, or natural body openings and lays clusters of eggs along the edges of the tissue, health officials warn. When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow deeper into living flesh, feeding aggressively and causing rapidly expanding wounds that can become fatal if untreated.
Unlike typical maggots that consume dead tissue, screwworm larvae attack healthy, living tissue, which is what makes the parasite so destructive. Transmission occurs when adult female flies move from one host to another, laying eggs in fresh wounds. A single female can lay hundreds of eggs at a time, allowing infestations to spread quickly through herds, wildlife populations, and even household pets.
The New World screwworm was eradicated in the United States in 1975 after a devastating outbreak that produced 29,000 cases in a single summer. Miller said the key tool used then — a fly bait that killed adult screwworms — is no longer available because the USDA deemed it environmentally insensitive.
In a statement on the state agency’s website, Miller’s office stated:
Miller stated, “Even though billions of sterile flies have been dispersed by USDA, the screwworm has still advanced over 1100 miles from southern Mexico to Texas, and USDA has missed an important component. Now that it appears the first screwworm has arrived in Texas, the consequences of that decision are now staring us in the face.”
As a result, Commissioner Miller is now urging President Trump to direct USDA to immediately deploy the Screwworm Adult Suppression System (SWASS), a proven technology developed by USDA scientists and successfully used during previous eradication campaigns. SWASS uses attractants, bait, and targeted, EPA-approved insecticides to dramatically reduce adult screwworm populations, allowing sterile fly releases to finish the job. For more than a year, the Texas Department of Agriculture has and will continue to stand ready to fast-track approval of the use of SWASS in Texas.
“SWASS was developed by USDA, tested by USDA, and successfully deployed by USDA to eradicate screwworm in Mexico and Texas when it last appeared. USDA already owns the playbook; the only question is whether USDA will use it before this situation gets worse,” Miller said.
“Mr. President, I am asking you to take direct control of this response. Cut through the bureaucracy, deploy SWASS immediately, and throw every available federal resource at this threat before it becomes a full-blown agricultural disaster.”
“I personally provided research and the SWASS bait formula to Secretary Rollins and her team on three separate occasions while the screwworm continued its northward trek to Texas. Instead of using every available tool, USDA moved too slowly and relied solely on a partial solution that takes years to fully implement.”
Governor Abbott’s office called on Texans to do the following:
- nspect livestock, pets, and other animals daily for any wounds, even small ones like tick bites, navels on newborns, or other openings.
- Treat wounds promptly and work to reduce fly populations around your operations.
- Immediately report any suspected NWS infestation to TAHC. Anyone can report a suspected case, not just veterinarians. Do not move the animal.
- You can report suspected cases to the TAHC 24-hour veterinarian call line: 1-800-550-8242
- If you observe deer, feral hogs, exotic game animals, or other wildlife showing signs of infestation or unusual wounds, report it immediately to the TPWD or your local TPWD wildlife biologist. TPWD wildlife biologists can be reached at (512) 389-4505.
- This is a highly treatable condition if acted upon quickly.
- Closely monitor outdoor pets, especially those with exposed or untreated wounds.
- Follow all quarantine, identification, and animal movement requirements issued by TAHC.
Earlier this week, the USDA began releasing more sterile flies in the Zavala County region. The plan calls for the release in a 20-kilometer infestation zone. The federal agency is also increasing the number of screwworm trapping devices along the border region.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.