Forty-nine US cases recorded this year, USDA reports
A working ranch horse in Presidio County, Texas, has become the first equine case of New World screwworm in the United States, the US Equestrian Foundation said Thursday.
The pest was discovered on the hind limb of the horse, the foundation said in a statement. It advised horse owners to monitor their animals daily for wounds, foul odor or maggots.
“Check horses daily, keep wounds clean and covered as directed by your veterinarian, use veterinarian-recommended fly control products and limit fly access with physical barriers such as fly masks, sheets and clean stabling practices when appropriate,” the foundation’s statement read.
The Texas Animal Health Commission has restricted the movement of warm-blooded animals outside infested zones in parts of Presidio and Jeff Davis counties, and in several other counties, to curb new infestations.
The New World screwworm is a fly larva that can nestle into and infest open wounds on warm-blooded animals. The parasite can cause severe injury or death in untreated animals.
The screwworm was eradicated from the United States decades ago. Its return was first detected in June on a calf in Zavala County, near the US-Mexico border. An infestation has since spread throughout Mexico.
Of the 49 US cases recorded this year by the US Department of Agriculture, all were in Texas except one in New Mexico, where the pest was found on a dog, the agency said.
The resurgence has raised alarm about potential financial devastation to Texas ranchers. Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, issued a disaster proclamation in June to mobilize state resources toward coping with the rising screwworm presence.
Before the pest was reported on American soil, the Trump administration announced the launch of a sterile fly dispersal facility in Edinburg, Texas. If female screwworm flies mate with a sterile fly, their offspring will not be viable, thus curbing the population.
Reuters contributed reporting.