Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials will share an update on New World screwworm in Texas on Friday morning.
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials will provide an update Friday morning on the New World screwworm case in Texas.
Abbott will be joined by Texas Animal Health Commission Executive Director Dr. Lewis R. “Bud” Dinges; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director David Yoskowitz; and Rear Adm. Michael Schmoyer, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New World Screwworm Directorate, along with other elected officials and state responders. The briefing is set to begin at 10:30 a.m.
The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly larva that infests the tissue of warm-blooded animals, including cattle, deer, pets and humans. The larvae invade open wounds and feed on living flesh.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the first U.S. case in South Texas on Wednesday. The pest poses a threat to the state’s $15 billion cattle industry.
Mexican authorities reported 11 new cases within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border at the end of last month. The closest confirmed case was about 25 miles from the border in a 5-year-old goat in Coahuila.
As of Monday, Mexico had about 1,800 active cases, bringing the total to more than 26,700 since November 2024.