TEXAS \u2014 The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed a second New World screwworm case in Texas on Friday evening.<\/p>\n
APHIS, which falls under the purview of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in a release<\/a> that officials detected this second case \u201cafter testing a number of suspect cases\u201d in Zavala County, which sits roughly 30 miles south of Uvalde. The screwworm infected a one-month-old calf about 5.6 miles from the first case<\/a> site, which involved a three-month-old calf.<\/p>\n New World screwworms are parasites that produce flesh-eating larvae in warm-blooded animals, from livestock to wildlife to even, sometimes, humans. The USDA announced the original case on Wednesday after sending the pest to Iowa for testing.<\/p>\n That screwworm became the first in Texas since 1966, according to the Associated Press<\/a>. Until then, they were considered eradicated in North America thanks to a program that released sterile male screwworms into the population.<\/p>\n In 2024, the New World screwworm reached Mexico after migrating from South America. Then, in January, Gov. Greg Abbott made a disaster order in response to the parasite\u2019s migration north.<\/p>\n USDA has confirmed a second detection of New World Screwworm in a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, Texas \u2014 approximately 5.6 miles from the first case.<\/p>\n With our partners in Texas, we are responding with speed and strength.<\/p>\n