The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established a 20-kilometer quarantine zone in LaPryor, Texas, following the detection of flesh-eating New World screwworm fly larvae on a three-week-old calf.
The discovery occurred on June 4, 2026, just days after federal officials authorized a massive funding initiative to upgrade containment facilities.
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According to reports, the parasite lays eggs in open wounds or cavities of warm-blooded animals and can cause death within two weeks if left untreated.
Funding and Control Measures
The US government had already allocated $21 million to renovate a breeding plant in Mexico and $8 million for a new control center in Texas before this case emerged.
Long-term plans include constructing a domestic fly production facility projected to cost several hundred million dollars.
The USDA expressed confidence in managing the threat through heightened surveillance and targeted sterile fly releases.
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“We have these pests defeated before and will do so again,” the department stated.
Agricultural authorities implemented mandatory inspections for all mammals leaving the restricted perimeter to prevent further geographic spread toward the American interior.
“There is no reason to believe that this case will lead to the return of this pest in our country,” the USDA added.
The sterile insect technique previously eradicated the species from the United States in the 1970s, following successful trials on the island of Curaçao during the 1950s.
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Prior to this outbreak, domestic detections over the last few decades were limited to isolated instances involving an international traveler and wild deer in Florida.
