New World Screwworm Fly Detected in Texas: USDA Imposes 12‑mile Quarantine","description":"The USDA reports the first confirmed case of the flesh‑eating New World screwworm fly in Texas in over 60 years. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins explains that the larvae are not a food‑safety risk, and the USDA is deploying sterile flies and building new breeding facilities.","summary":"A 3‑week‑old calf in LaPryor, Texas, was found carrying the fly. The USDA has established a 12‑mile quarantine zone, and officials are deploying sterile flies, constructing a new factory in Texas, and monitoring the U.S.‑Mexico border. Ranchers and pet owners are urged to stay within the zone.","image":"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/2fc44e6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/599x399!/quality/90/?url=https://assets.apnews.com/c0/e7/08d2c122f267d953008cbbd64eef/9f30a8f704e8436aa4b0ed1000b44b80","text":"

The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed on Wednesday that the New World screwworm fly has been detected in south Texas for the first time in 60 years, marking the third U.S. occurrence since its eradication in the 1970s.

A 3‑week‑old calf in LaPryor, Texas—just 83 km from the Mexico border—was the first confirmed case, the USDA announced. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the larvae pose no food‑safety risk, although they can be deadly if left untreated, and that the calf is recoverable if treated properly.

Veterinarian Bud Dinges established a 12‑mile (20 km) quarantine zone, prohibiting any warm‑blooded animals, including pets, from leaving the area without inspection. Rollins called the incident a “border‑present” threat and urged ranchers and pet owners to remain within the zone.

To curb spread, the USDA is deploying millions of sterile screwworm flies along the U.S.‑Mexico border—a technique that proved successful during the original eradication campaign. The agency will also construct a new $750‑million factory in Texas to breed and release sterile flies, and a plant in southern Mexico, which should open next month.

Officials have tested 58,000 fly samples and 19,000 wild animals over the past months and have installed 8,000 traps along the border, saying there is no threat of a mass infestation. The problem is that the fly can travel with people, pets or wild mammals.

Rollins said she defends the 2023 decision to close livestock imports from Mexico. The threat underscores the need for continuous vigilance and cooperation from ranchers to limit movement beyond the quarantine perimeter.

Mice Take Over: Australian Farmers Battle an Unprecedented Rodent Plague

Longview Chemical Tank Implosion: Racing Against Time for a Mill Town

Portugal Sets May Heat Record as Europe Simmers in Unprecedented Heatwave

White‑Liquor Explosion in Longview: Nine Missing in Deadly Plant Accident

Nine Missing Workers Search Continues After Toxic Tank Implosion in Longview

Washington Paper Mill Explosion: One Death, Nine Missing, and Huge Chemical Release

Chemical Tank Implosion at Washington Mill Injures Dozens

Garden Grove Evacuation Order Lifted After Tank Temperatures Drop

Garden Grove Chemical Tank Leak Forces 50,000 Evacuated

Virtual Journalist Reports: Southern California Chemical Tank Crisis Threatens 40,000 Residents as Explosion Risk Looms

Metaworld Live: Virtual Journalists Cover Chemical Tank Crisis in Garden Grove