Overview
- Authorities reported July 2 that 31 animal infections have been confirmed, with 30 cases in Texas and one in Lea County, New Mexico, and Texas officials established Infested Zone 07.B to broaden livestock movement restrictions.
- Texas has the State Emergency Operations Center at Level II and has deployed roadside checkpoints, 78 traps, drone surveillance and aerial sterile‑fly release teams to interrupt the parasite’s breeding cycle.
- Federal and partner production now yields about 100 million sterile flies weekly but experts and officials say models require roughly 400–500 million per week, and new plants in Metapa, Mexico and Texas are being brought online but will take months to scale.
- No human cases have been confirmed and the state’s disaster proclamation remains active to speed resources and inspections, while USDA cautions recorded cases likely undercount true spread because wildlife monitoring is limited.
- The outbreak is straining ranch operations and trade prospects and has produced political dispute over past funding and policy choices that former and current officials say reduced preparedness.