New World screwworm continues to move closer to the United States-Mexico border, with the nearest confirmed case reported May 16 about 57 miles from the border.
According to the Mexican government, the case involved a 16-month-old cat. No additional details about the case were released.
Mexico is reporting NWS cases almost daily within 100 miles of the Texas border, raising concerns among livestock producers and animal health officials.
Despite the increased activity in Mexico, U.S. officials emphasized there are still no confirmed cases in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to use sterile fly releases and border surveillance efforts to prevent the parasite from entering the country.
About 100 million sterile flies produced in Panama have been released in northern Mexico in the states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Coahuila. Additional sterile flies have been released about 25 miles into Texas from Del Rio to Matamoros.
USDA and Texas officials are also placing fly traps along the border to help detect fertile screwworm flies if they enter Texas.
Additional information about federal response efforts is available at screwworm.gov.
Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].
