Part 2: USDA Confirms First New World Screwworm Case in Texas Since 1966

Rollins says aggressive containment effort underway as federal and state officials move to prevent wider spread

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday evening that USDA has officially confirmed the first case of New World screwworm (NWS) in Texas since 1966, triggering an aggressive federal and state response that includes quarantines, movement restrictions, sterile fly releases, enhanced surveillance, and emergency deployment of treatment supplies. The confirmed case involves a three-week-old calf in La Pryor, Texas, located in Zavala County, which is 35-40 miles from the Mexican border. Link to Part 1 of this topic. 

Rollins emphasized throughout the briefing that officials believe the infestation remains isolated and that there is currently only one confirmed case. “There is no reason to believe that this incursion will result in an establishment of the pest in our country,” Rollins said, provided producers follow treatment protocols and movement restrictions.

First confirmed Texas case in six decades. USDA confirmed the detection after samples were flown from South Texas to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, for verification. Officials have established a 20-kilometer infested zone around the detection site and imposed quarantines and animal movement controls while surveillance efforts intensify.

According to Rollins, USDA and Texas authorities already have response teams in place and are deploying additional resources. “We have expedited targeted release of the sterile New World screwworm flies,” Rollins said. “We have alreadydeployed a plane headed to South Texas with treatment stockpiles.”

Food safety not at risk. A recurring theme throughout the briefing was the distinction between animal health and food safety. “This pest does not cause any sort of food safety issue,” Rollins stressed. “It is not a disease, but simply an insect that feeds on living tissues.”

Texas Animal Health Commission Executive Director Dr. Bud Dinges echoed that message. “This is not a food safety issue. This is a food production issue,” Dinges said. “New World screwworms do not infest meat, fruits, vegetables, or other food sources.”

Officials noted that animals treated early can recover fully and safely enter the food supply chain.

USDA highlights years of preparation. Rollins devoted significant time to defending USDA’s preparedness efforts. She noted that USDA had deployed more than 8,000 traps along the U.S./Mexico border, examined more than 58,000 fly samples, and inspected over 19,000 wildlife specimens before this first confirmed detection. “We have been able to successfully keep it out of Texas a year longer, almost, than what was thought,” Rollins said.

USDA officials also revealed that over 129 million sterile flies have already been released in Texas through aerial and ground operations since February 2026 as part of preventative efforts.

Sterile fly strategy remains centerpiece. Federal officials repeatedly described sterile insect technology as the primary weapon against screwworm.

The current Panama production facility generates roughly 100 million sterile flies per week. USDA is also investing:

• $21 million to renovate a facility in Metapa, Mexico, expected to begin operations soon and ultimately produce up to 100 million flies weekly. 
• $750 million for a new production facility at Moore Air Base in South Texas capable of producing approximately 300 million flies weekly once operational in 2027. 
   

Rollins said eradication efforts ultimately require roughly 400 million to 500 million sterile flies per week.

“We realized that was not going to be enough and we had to do something very, very quickly,” Rollins said of existing production capacity.

Movement of animals identified as primary risk. One of Rollins’ strongest messages centered on animal movement. “This fly typically moves great distances because humans move animals, not because the fly flies to new areas,” she said.

She argued that movement of livestock through Central America and Mexico accelerated the pest’s northward advance and linked the spread to illicit livestock movement across international borders.

Texas officials are now requiring inspections and permits before any warm-blooded animals can leave the quarantine zone.

Dinges warned: “No movement of warm-blooded species will be allowed out of this zone without an inspection.”

Pet owners also being warned. Although much of the discussion focused on cattle, Rollins emphasized that pets are also vulnerable. “This is not just a livestock issue. It’s not just a cattle issue. It is a pet issue as well,” she said. USDA urged owners to inspect dogs, cats, and livestock for wounds and signs of infestation and to report suspected cases immediately.

Whole-of-government response. USDA Undersecretary Dudley Hoskins described what he called a “whole-of-government approach” involving USDA, FDA, EPA, CDC, Customs and Border Protection, Fish and Wildlife Service, and other agencies.

USDA’s incident management teams have increased trapping, aerial sterile fly dispersal, producer outreach, and surveillance activities in South Texas. “We will continue to try to flood the zone with as many sterile flies as we can get,” Hoskins said.

Rollins credits Trump administration support. Rollins concluded by crediting President Donald Trump for supporting what she described as more than $1 billion in federal investments to combat the threat. “Without hesitation, this president said, ‘Go do it. Go do what we need to do,’” Rollins said.

Containment now becomes the critical test. The confirmation of New World screwworm in Texas represents a major milestone in a threat USDA has been warning about since the pest reappeared in southern Mexico in late 2024. While officials stressed that only one case has been confirmed, the discovery shifts the battle from prevention to containment.

The immediate challenge will be determining whether the Texas case is truly isolated or whether additional undetected infestations exist in livestock, wildlife, or companion animals in South Texas. The aggressive quarantine zone, intensive trapping program, and large-scale sterile fly releases reflect USDA’s effort to answer that question quickly.

For cattle producers, the biggest concern may not be direct livestock losses but rather the potential for movement restrictions, increased inspection requirements, and possible trade disruptions if additional cases emerge. USDA’s emphasis on regionalizing any future trade restrictions suggests officials are already preparing for those discussions with trading partners.

Meanwhile, federal officials appear confident that decades of experience using sterile insect technology — including the successful eradication of a Florida outbreak in 2017 — provide a proven roadmap for preventing New World screwworm from becoming reestablished in the United States. The coming weeks will determine whether that confidence is justified.