Tracking the deadly parasite threatening Texas livestock and wildlife -- the latest spread data, prevention efforts, and government response.
Federal officials confirmed Oct. 28 the first case of New World screwworm in Arizona, a dog in Cochise County, pushing the flesh-eating parasite into a third state.
The New World screwworm has now turned up in a wild animal in the United States for the first time.
The national registry for the New World screwworm outbreak has maintained a stable count of 12 confirmed cases into Friday morning, according to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The federal response to the New World screwworm outbreak in Texas is shifting focus toward expanding supply-side containment measures, specifically by scaling up sterile-fly production and aerial dispersal.
Texas A&M University has mobilized its Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) to support the state's response to the New World screwworm outbreak in the Hill Country.
Governor Greg Abbott announced the launch of a free online training and certification program designed to expand the state's network of qualified New World screwworm inspectors.
Two Central Texas counties have issued local disaster declarations regarding the New World screwworm despite having no confirmed cases within their borders.
This week, a biological threat long considered eradicated from the United States breached the Texas border, instantly disrupting the stability of the state's agricultural sector and triggering a major regulatory and political response.
During a recent episode of the Texas Tribune TribCast, journalists and agricultural experts discussed the confirmation of the parasitic New World screwworm fly in Texas for the first time since 1982.
The New World screwworm outbreak in Texas widened as federal regulatory officials confirmed three additional cases far beyond the original South Texas containment zone and announced an escalated, multi-agency response.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller responded to the additional New World screwworm detection by demanding the immediate federal deployment of a specialized fly suppression system.
The international fallout from recent New World screwworm detections in South Texas escalated as the Canadian government moved to restrict imports of Texas livestock, drawing sharp pushback from state officials.
Governor Greg Abbott signed an updated statewide disaster declaration authorizing the use of all available state resources to eradicate the New World screwworm fly.
The US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed on June 3, 2026 the detection of a New World screwworm (NWS) in a bovine in Zavala County, Texas — the first detection of the pest in the United States in decades.