UMVA has learned that the United States faced its first confirmed case of New World screwworm in American livestock in nearly sixty years, igniting an immediate nationwide emergency to shield a multibillion‑dollar cattle industry.
The dreaded larvae were discovered on a three‑week‑old calf at a remote ranch in La Pryor, Zavala County, Texas, just 50 miles north of the Mexican border, where they had burrowed into the animal’s umbilical area.
Samples sent to a federal veterinary laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the infestation, prompting the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to declare an emergency on Wednesday.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the nation is treating the outbreak with “the utmost seriousness,” noting that proactive measures bought nearly a year of preparation before the parasite was expected to arrive.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the New World screwworm— the voracious larval stage of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly— lays hundreds of eggs in any open wound of warm‑blooded animals, from cattle and horses to deer, goats, pets, and even, in rare cases, humans.
Once hatched, the larvae use razor‑sharp hooks to tunnel deep into living flesh, devouring tissue, spawning secondary infections, and inflicting excruciating pain; a single infestation can kill a cow within weeks if left unchecked.
Fortunately, the parasite does not contaminate meat, produce, or processed foods, so the commercial food supply remains protected under existing inspection regimes.
In response, USDA officials have activated a pre‑written New World Screwworm Response Playbook, while the Texas Animal Health Commission has sealed an infested zone encompassing parts of Zavala and Uvalde counties, placing all warm‑blooded animals under strict quarantine.
Millions of sterilized male screwworm flies are already being released to mate with wild females, ensuring non‑viable eggs and driving the pest population toward collapse.
As of Thursday, no additional cases have emerged, but authorities remain on high alert, ready to act at a moment’s notice.
