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OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The USDA has confirmed a case of the New World screwworm re-entering the United States for the first time in 60 years.
Inspectors confirmed larvae in a wound of a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas. It is the only confirmed case so far, and officials say they do not anticipate it impacting beef prices.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins addressed how the screwworm spreads.
“This fly typically moves great distances because humans move animals,” Rollins said.
Rollins made clear the screwworm cannot travel on its own from Texas to states like Nebraska or Iowa. The insect must travel within a herd to cover long distances.
The U.S.-Mexico livestock ports have been closed since May 2025, which Rollins said has been impacting the cost of beef. However, officials say the concerns like the New World Screwworm and livestock herds in Mexico motivated the decision. The USDA is now placing a 12-mile “infested zone” in Zavala County, Texas, where animals can only leave after up to 72 hours of examination.
To combat the New World screwworm, the USDA says it is deploying millions of sterile flies that trick infected insects into mating with them, which prevents them from reproducing.
A veterinarian says the affected calf is doing better and that livestock can be treated. The next 48 hours will be key to identifying any additional cases and determining how long containment will take.
I reached out to all Nebraska congressmen and got responses from representatives Adrian Smith and Don Bacon:
“New World Screwworm is a serious pest and if not handled correctly can have devasting consequences for America’s cattle industry. While the confirmed case in Texas is concerning, I trust Secretary Rollins, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and producers will continue to take the appropriate steps to effectively contain and eradicate New World Screwworm from the United States as soon as possible,” Smith said.
“We were expecting New World Screwworm to make it into the United States at some point. The Trump Administration, industry stakeholders, and state departments of agriculture have been coordinating and preparing for this moment over the last year-and-a-half. They have and will continue to invest in the tools necessary to monitor and eradicate screwworm. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has already established a 20km perimeter around the detection site, and I am confident that we will be able to contain this detection and avoid an outbreak,” Bacon said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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