The U.S. Department of Agriculture is racing to contain the deadly New World screwworm after a case was detected in Texas, where a broader outbreak could threaten an already-small domestic cattle herd.
The flesh-eating parasite was confirmed on Wednesday in a 3-week-old calf in south Texas, marking the first detection in the U.S. in nearly a decade. The screwworm¡¯s presence in the country has the potential to significantly disrupt the U.S. meat industry, while creating the latest obstacle to the Trump administration¡¯s efforts to tackle record-high beef prices.
The key to preventing a bigger outbreak will depend on fencing in the screwworm fly, which has been gradually spreading north through Mexico over the past year. The agency is implementing quarantines, movement controls and surveillance in a 20-kilometer?zone around the detection site in Zavala County.
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