Three NWS cases confirmed in July as U.S. total reaches 34
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed 34 domestic cases of New World screwworm in the United States as of July 9, with all cases occurring in Texas and New Mexico.
According to USDA, 20 cases remain active, and 14 are classified as inactive.
Three new cases were confirmed in Texas during July. USDA confirmed NWS in a sheep case in Crockett County on July 3. A bovine case was confirmed July 7 in Crockett Brewster County, and a second bovine case was confirmed July 9 in Brewster County.
All confirmed U.S. cases have involved domestic livestock. USDA reported no confirmed cases in wildlife or humans.
The Texas Animal Health Commission has declared New World Screwworm Infested Zones, with strict movement restrictions in place for all warm-blooded animals in parts of 22 Texas counties. The affected counties are Bandera, Brewster, Coke, Crockett, Edwards, Gillespie, Jim Hogg, Kerr, Kimble, La Salle, Medina, Pecos, Schleicher, Starr, Sutton, Terrell, Tom Green, Uvalde, Val Verde, Webb, Zapata, and Zavala.
New World screwworm is caused by the larvae of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly, which infest living tissue in warm-blooded animals. Livestock producers are encouraged to monitor animals for wounds that do not heal properly or show signs of larval infestation and to report suspected cases to state animal health officials or USDA.
USDA continues surveillance and response efforts in affected areas to detect and contain additional cases.
Lacey Vilhauer can be reached at 620-227-1871 or [email protected].
