Overview
- The outbreak began when a calf tested positive on June 3 and has grown to about 20 confirmed animal cases by June 25, with all but one case located in Texas and one classified in Lea County, New Mexico.
- Texas has widened its response area by adding Infested Zone 09 after a Medina County detection and now enforces movement restrictions and inspection rules across parts of multiple counties.
- Federal and state teams are releasing millions of sterile male screwworm flies each week to stop reproduction but officials say current supply is below modeled needs and new production sites in Mexico and South Texas will take months to reach full output.
- Public health agencies say human risk is very low, pets and livestock are treatable if caught early, and veterinarians and animal owners must report suspected cases within 24 hours under state rules.
- Officials warn that infections in wildlife, especially Texas’s millions of deer, complicate eradication and could prolong the outbreak while imposing substantial costs on ranchers, hunters and regional economies.