By Shelby Shank
Field Editor<\/p>\n
A routine check on a cattle herd in South Texas led to the confirmation of the first case of New World screwworm in Texas in 60 years.<\/p>\n
The case was identified at Rock Creek Ranch in La Pryor, where ranch manager Robbie Graff and his crew discovered a three-day-old calf with signs of a possible screwworm infestation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we found the calf, we were in the pasture, checking water pivots and putting out mineral and cake,\u201d Graff said. \u201cThe calf had come up with its mother, and we noticed the naval area was swollen and had blood around it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many South Texas ranchers, Graff has been closely following reports of the pest\u2019s northward movement and preparing for the possibility that it could eventually reach Texas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew the screwworm was going to get here one day. We prayed it wouldn\u2019t, but we\u2019ve been studying the pest and preparing for when an outbreak would get here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When the calf was contained and examined, Graff suspected it was New World screwworm.<\/p>\n
He treated the calf, removed the larvae and contacted his veterinarian. Samples were submitted for testing at U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, where it was officially confirmed on June 3 that New World screwworm had reached the U.S.<\/p>\n
Rather than panic, Graff\u2019s focus was on following established protocols.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere wasn\u2019t any panic. We just went back into work mode, took care of the calf and followed the proper protocol by contacting our veterinarian and the Texas Animal Health Commission,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Graff emphasized that reporting screwworm cases is critical in preventing additional infestations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been dropping flies since the day after I reported the case, and we haven\u2019t seen any more cases on the ranch since it was first detected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The calf recovered quickly following treatment.<\/p>\n
Graff and his crew have increased their monitoring efforts since the detection.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been checking all of the cattle, if not every day, every other day,\u201d Graff said. \u201cJust make sure you\u2019ve got your eyes on your cattle and are vigilant about checking them.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stressed that New World screwworm is a pest infestation and not a contagious disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not an infectious disease that travels from one animal to the other,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a pest. The fly attacks a wound, and it\u2019s not transmitted from one animal to the other or through the food chain.\u201d<\/p>\n
The current outbreak brought back memories from Graff\u2019s childhood. He recalls accompanying his father checking cattle and watching sterile flies being distributed from planes and trucks.<\/p>\n
Today, he remains confident that the same strategy can work again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had known that it was vital to get it reported because as soon as you report it, they will immediately start dropping flies that night or the next day in your area,\u201d Graff said. \u201cIt worked 60 years ago, so it\u2019s really the only thing that\u2019s going to be able to get rid of this infestation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the confirmation marked a significant milestone in the reemergence of New World screwworm in the U.S., Graff said daily operations at the ranch have changed very little.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here daily. We live here. It\u2019s just a little extra work, but routine work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His advice to other ranchers is straightforward: stay alert, seek help when needed and report suspected cases immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve just got to take action,\u201d Graff said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Shelby ShankField Editor A routine check on a cattle herd in South Texas led to the confirmation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342925,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[115677,115357,27,29,28],"class_list":["post-342924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-la-pryor","tag-screwworm","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=342924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=342924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=342924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=342924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}