Screwworm larvae
AUSTIN - A parasitic insect that's sparked concerns about Texas livestock safety has been found near the southern border, Texas Parks and Wildlife announced Tuesday.
The discovery comes about a month after an $850 million plan was announced to battle the screwworm in Texas.
Screwworms found near Texas
Screwworm fly
What's new:
New World screwworms were found in a cow in Sabinas Hidalgo on Sunday, TPWD announced.
The area is located in Nuevo León, Mexico, about 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to the release, the cow is believed to have been moved from a feedlot in a southern area with known cases of the parasitic worm.
What's next:
TPWD says they are working closely with the Texas Animal Health Commission and the USDA to continue surveillance at the southern border.
Flesh-eating screwworm fly prompts livestock import ban at US-Mexico border
The U.S. has shut its southern border to livestock imports again after a flesh-eating parasite was found further north in Mexico than previously reported, raising alarm among American agriculture officials.
What you can do:
To ensure a quick and effective response to NWS in Texas, those along the southern border or traveling from NWS-affected areas should closely monitor wildlife, livestock and pets for signs of NWS and immediately report potential cases to TPWD or TAHC.
If you suspect wildlife with NWS infestations contact your local TPWD wildlife biologist.
Producers, veterinarians, diagnostic laboratories, or anyone else with suspicious livestock or domestic animals should direct reports to a TAHC Regional Office, or the 24-hour vet on-call line, 1-800-550-8242, within 24 hours of suspect or confirmed cases.
U.S. plan to fight screwworm in Texas
Big picture view:
The threat to cattle has been deemed so potentially devastating to the U.S. food supply that the federal government is committing $850 million to fight it.
Most of that money will be spent on building a sterile male fly production facility near the border.
The facility will produce 300 million sterile male flies a week to be dropped into target areas where the screwworm is now. Those male flies help to reduce the population size through mating without reproducing.
Screwworm threat in Austin: Gov. Abbott & Secretary Rollins on plans to fight back
Governor Greg Abbott and U.S Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins reveal plans to fight back against threats posed by the New World screwworm.
A much smaller portion of the funding will be used for screwworm detection technology.
In addition, the federal government has already spent $21 million on a sterile fly production facility in Mexico.
What are New World screwworms?
Dig deeper:
The insect gets its name because it’s only found in the Americas.
It lays its eggs in the open wounds of animals, and its larvae become parasites, threatening livestock, domestic animals, and even people.
What is screwworm? Symptoms, prevention and treatment
The first human case of New World screwworm was confirmed in the United States after a Maryland resident was diagnosed earlier this month.
The screwworm was mostly eradicated in Texas and the rest of the United States in the 60s. But now, it’s moving north up from Panama and has a known presence a little over 300 miles south of the Texas-Mexico border.
The Source: Information in this report came from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and previous FOX Texas Digital coverage.