Overview
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed a second New World screwworm case on Friday in Zavala County, Texas, about 5.6 miles from the first confirmed calf.
- Federal and state teams say the new case was found inside an existing movement‑control zone where teams have collected nearby samples that so far tested negative.
- USDA crews are releasing sterilized male flies to stop breeding and are supplying about 100 million sterile flies per week now with plans to scale toward roughly 500 million per week and to build larger production capacity in South Texas.
- Canada’s food inspection agency has temporarily banned import of animals that were in Texas within 21 days before crossing the border, and Texas officials have expanded disaster declarations to mobilize state resources.
- Screwworm larvae eat living tissue and can kill livestock and rarely infect people, so officials say rapid detection, strict movement controls and sufficient sterile‑fly releases are critical to prevent establishment and protect the cattle industry.