Screwworm Reaches Texas Calf

USDA and Texas officials confirmed New World screwworm in a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, triggering containment work after the pest moved north through Mexico.

1. Frame 1USDA launches a state response after New World screwworm reaches a 3-week-old Texas calf, raising livestock safety risk.
2. Frame 2The sample came from Zavala County and was confirmed by USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
3. Frame 3On May 28, another case in Coahuila, Mexico, sat 25 miles from the U.S. border.
4. Frame 4Screwworm larvae feed in wounds of warm-blooded animals, putting cattle, pets, wildlife, and rare human cases on alert.
5. Frame 5Texas officials established an infested zone and movement restrictions while USDA teams coordinate traps, treatment supplies, and response work.
6. Frame 6Next test: whether surveillance finds more animals, or the Zavala County calf remains a contained first case.