Overview
- Federal labs confirmed larvae in the umbilical area of a three‑week‑old calf in Zavala County, Texas, a finding announced late Wednesday as the first U.S. animal detection since the 1960s.
- USDA and Texas officials formed a unified Incident Command Team that has established a roughly 20‑kilometer infested zone, imposed quarantines and animal movement controls, and increased trapping and surveillance.
- Authorities are expediting sterile insect technique efforts by adding ground‑release chambers to ongoing aerial releases and mobilizing the National Veterinary Stockpile to supply treatments and equipment for affected animals.
- Public‑health agencies say human cases are rare; CDC data show far more animal infections than human infections and only one confirmed travel‑related U.S. human case in August 2025.
- The detection raises big economic risks for ranchers because the U.S. herd is near multi‑decade lows, live‑cattle imports from Mexico remain suspended, and state analysts estimate regional livestock losses could total around $2 billion without rapid containment.