New World screwworm case detected almost 200 miles from U.S./Mexico border
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A new New World screwworm case has been reported 197 miles from the U.S./Mexico border in the state of Tamaulipas.
The case was identified on December 27 in a six-day-old calf. Texas agriculture officials say this is the northernmost active detection to date and the first case reported in Tamaulipas.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says that President Donald Trump's administration has been pushing resources toward this issue. Miller has been promoting a number of disease containment and prevention measures over the past few months.
Read Commissioner Miller's complete statement below:
“The continued detections of New World screwworm near the Texas border are grim reminders of the serious threat this pest poses to our state. Thanks to the efforts of USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and APHIS working in coordination with Mexico, its northward spread has been halted, and this recent case promises to be a one-off, for now. But to fully eradicate this threat, the bottom line remains unchanged: we need sterile flies. I said as much a year ago when I criticized the Biden Administration’s failed efforts to corral this pest—dollars don’t kill screwworms, sterile flies do.
Under President Trump’s leadership, Secretary Rollins and the USDA have now committed to a historic, targeted response that will deliver real results. Earlier this year, I was proud to stand alongside Secretary Rollins in Edinburg, Texas, as she unveiled her comprehensive five-point plan, and again at the Texas Capitol as that plan was expanded. I will continue to support and advocate for federal efforts to expand sterile insect fly production and infrastructure, because this proven strategy is key to the long-term eradication of New World screwworm.”
