Overview
- Authorities have confirmed a cluster of New World screwworm infections in Texas and New Mexico, with USDA reporting six confirmed U.S. cases including a newly reported calf in La Salle County, Texas.
- Texas has expanded quarantines and movement restrictions for warm-blooded animals while the Texas Animal Health Commission and USDA investigate and trace affected herds and pets.
- The FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization for generic nitenpyram tablets in dogs and cats, which usually kills most larvae within hours and requires a second dose six hours after the first but does not prevent reinfestation.
- Public-health guidance urges daily wound checks, prompt veterinary evaluation, and avoidance of home larva removal because improper extraction can worsen injury or infection.
- The screwworm was eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s but has moved north from endemic areas since 2023, raising risks to ranch income, animal movements and trade and prompting plans for sterile-fly production and other containment tools.