Overview
- Federal and state agencies have confirmed multiple animal infections in South Texas and a dog case in Lea County, New Mexico, and have set up quarantines and movement controls around affected counties to limit spread.
- Containment relies on the Sterile Insect Technique with millions of sterile flies already being released by air and ground, but officials say current supply is limited and more production is being built in Mexico and a new U.S. plant to scale weekly output.
- No human infections have been confirmed in the United States so far while health agencies report thousands of human cases across Mexico and Central America this year.
- The outbreak has prompted emergency declarations, tighter livestock movement rules in neighboring states, and public criticism from some state leaders who argue response tactics and reporting rules should change.
- Experts warn that if the pest becomes established it could cause large livestock losses and heavy economic damage to the Texas cattle sector, and they say rapid detection, producer reporting and a quicker ramp-up of sterile‑fly supply will determine whether containment succeeds.