Two more Texas screwworm infections found in animals far apart, USDA says
The USDA said the new cases were found in a calf and a dog, bringing the total confirmed Texas cases to four.
- Four cases of New World screwworm infections have been confirmed in Texas, including in a calf and a dog, highlighting the difficulty in controlling its spread.
- Quarantine zones have been established, and millions of sterile flies are being released weekly to manage the screwworm population and prevent further outbreaks.
- Screwworm larvae burrow into the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, causing severe wounds and potentially death if untreated, posing a threat to livestock.
- Federal cuts to monitoring programs have reduced early-warning capabilities, complicating efforts to contain the pest's return after decades of eradication.
136 Articles
136 Articles
The parasite was eliminated from the United States in 1966, except for some limited reappearance, including an outbreak in the Florida Keys eliminated in 2017. However, since 2023 it is moving north again through Central America and Mexico.
Flesh-eating fly is back and spreading past Texas
Three more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed, including one outside the main cluster in Texas, demonstrating the difficulty of stopping a resurgent pest that could devastate the nation’s cattle industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday.
East TN cattle farmer, UT expert prepare for potential screwworm outbreak
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working to contain an outbreak of the flesh-eating screwworm parasite in Texas, after two cases were reported just six miles apart last week. In the 1950s and 60s, the USDA eradicated the New World screwworm, named for its screwhead-shaped larvae, in the United States. Now [...]
Elon Musk Faces Backlash as a Horrific Texas Screwworm Outbreak Follows Brutal DOGE Budget Cuts
A flesh-eating livestock parasite not seen in the United States for 60 years has crossed the Texas border, months after the federal programmes that might have slowed it were dismantled under Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficienc (DOGE). On 3 June 2026, the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the detection of the New World screwworm in a bovine in Zavala County, Texas. It was the first conf…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 69% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
