US EditionNew World Screwworm Parasite Detected in Northern Mexico Near U.S. Border
The USDA is investing $30 million in sterile fly programs and expanding surveillance to prevent the New World Screwworm from spreading into U.S. livestock near the Texas border.
- On September 21, 2025 Mexico's National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality confirmed New World Screwworm less than 70 miles from the U.S. border, prompting the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ramp up prevention efforts with Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service .
- In 2023, NWS detections in Panama surged to more than 6,500 cases, while the young heifer moved from southern Mexico amid active outbreaks and was part of a shipment of 100 cattle.
- USDA has placed thousands of fly traps in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California and invested $30 million to expand sterile fly production and build new facilities this year.
- U.S. ports remain closed to livestock, bison and horse imports from Mexico until further notice, and Brooke Rollins, U.S. Agriculture Secretary, called the situation `a national security priority` while elevating a five-pronged plan.
- If the pest spreads north it could threaten U.S. livestock and rural economies, so USDA plans to strengthen cooperation with Mexico and build a South Texas dispersal facility using sterile insect technology.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Agriculture Secretary Announces Update as Flesh-Eating Screwworm Comes Within 70 Miles of US Border
More than 8,000 traps have been deployed across Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, targeting the New World screwworm (NWS) flies, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a Sept. 26 post on X, adding that no additional NWS infections have been detected since last Sunday. On Sunday, Sept. 21, an announcement was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which said that Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and …
Texas setting New World screwworm traps in El Paso, other parts of the state
AUSTIN, Texas (KVIA) -- Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) launched a New World Screwworm Trapping Plan. Some new traps will be set in the El Paso area. The pest has been reported 70 miles south of the border in Mexico. The strategy involves placing traps in key high-risk zones along the border and around major port regions, including in the El Paso area. They will be placed from the Maverick…
AHC: Screwworm Threat Nears US Border
WASHINGTON — New World Screwworm continues to creep towards the United States border from Mexico. On September 21, 2025 Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimientary Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA) confirmed the detection of New World Screwworm (NWS) less than 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. New World screwworms are parasitic fly larvae that burrow into the flesh of animals and humans, causing painful, often deadly infestations. The…
New World Screwworm Eradication Effort Update from USDA - Cattle Southeast AgNET
USDA Ramps Up Border Protection Against New World Screwworm Threat New World screwworm (NWS, Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a devastating pest. When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal. NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds, and in rare cases, people.Courtesy of USDA/APHIS With the recent detection of New World Screwworm within 70 miles of th…
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