AUSTIN, Texas —Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Monday that additional state resources have been deployed to respond to the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said poses a major threat to livestock, but can also infect birds and humans.
The term screwworm refers to the larvae of the New World screwworm fly. According to the USDA, screwworm larvae burrow into the flesh of mainly livestock, often causing serious and deadly damage.
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In rarer cases, the parasite has infected pets, birds and people.
The fly is endemic to parts of the Caribbean and South America and was successfully eradicated in America in 1966, with a small outbreak eliminated in the Florida Keys in 2017, according to the USDA.
Federal officials said the first confirmed case was detected in a 3-week-old calf in South Texas' Zavala County on June 3, with three additional cases since confirmed in calves in Zavala and La Salle counties, and a dog in New Mexico's Lea County.
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The USDA said it is releasing sterile flies near where the parasite has been detected to help prevent female flies from successfully mating.
The Texas Animal Health Commission is providing diagnostic services and community outreach.
On Monday, President Donald Trump appointed Texas cattleman and food safety leader John Bellinger as senior advisor for New World Screwworm Preparedness, according to the USDA's New World Screwworm Rapid Response.
Gov. Abbott said Monday that the Texas State Emergency Operations Center is now under a Level II Escalated Response to combat the parasite, meaning multiple state agencies will work together to contain its spread.
"The protection of our ranchers, livestock producers, deer breeders and the Texas economy from this pest is a top priority," Gov. Abbott said.
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"We have eradicated this pest before, and we will do it again in close cooperation with our federal partners. Texans should stay alert, check animals daily for wounds and report any suspected cases immediately," he continued.
Officials are urging people to report any suspected New World screwworm cases in livestock to the Texas Animal Health Commission. Click here for a full list of screwworm cases reported in the past 30 days.
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