Flesh-Eating Parasite 'Invades' Texas; Deadly Screwworm Outbreak Threatens U.S. Farmers | DETAILS

Añadido: 2026-06-07

[00:00:00]Imagine a parasite that doesn't wait for an animal to die before feeding on it.

[00:00:05]That's exactly why US agriculture officials are on high alert after a dangerous flesh-eating [music] fly was detected on American soil. It's larva infest open wounds and consume living tissue, causing severe injury and sometimes [music] death.

[00:00:24]Earlier this week, the US Department of Agriculture, much to everyone's alarm, confirmed that the New World screwworm fly was found in a calf [music] in La Pryor, Texas, about 50 miles from the Mexican border.

[00:00:40]This marks the third time that a pest has appeared in the United [music] States in decades. Now, Washington has confirmed a second case of flesh-eating parasite in Texas as it races to contain and eradicate the outbreak before it severely impacts the cattle population.

[00:01:00]>> I want everybody to know that there's a very well long-established prevention and cure for the spread of the New World screwworm.

[00:01:11]A cure and prevention that the federal government has implemented in the past.

[00:01:16]It involves the release of sterile flies. It breaks the pest's it reproduction cycle.

[00:01:24]The prevention requires the release of millions of sterile flies in targeted regions.

[00:01:30]The USDA is now importing and dispersing those flies in the South Texas and the USDA is also constructing a new sterile screwworm production facility in Edinburg.

[00:01:45]It is essential that that facility be up and running as quickly as possible.

[00:01:51]>> So, what exactly is the New World screwworm and why are officials so worried about it.

[00:02:00]Unlike most maggots that feed on dead tissue, New World screwworm larvae attack living flesh. Female flies lay eggs in open wounds, and once the larvae hatch, they burrow deeper into the animal's tissue, causing painful and often life-threatening [music] infections. The parasite can affect livestock, wildlife, pets, and in rare cases, humans.

[00:02:24]The timing couldn't be worse for Texas ranchers. The state is home to the largest cattle herd in the United States, but that herd is already at its smallest size in about 75 years. With fewer cattle available, beef supplies have climbed to [music] record highs for consumers. Now, experts warn that if the New World screwworm isn't contained, it could deal a major blow to the livestock industry. A Reuters report suggests that the economic damage in Texas alone could reach up to 1.8 billion dollars in today's dollars.

[00:03:04]In the 1960s, screwworm was eradicated from the US through a program that released massive numbers of sterilized male flies to mate with wild females to produce eggs that would never hatch. For years, the New World screwworm remained largely contained in Panama, but that changed in 2021 when the pest began moving north. By 2024, it had reached southern Mexico, where authorities have since reported more than 27,000 cases, with over 2,000 infections still [music] active.

[00:03:40]The growing spread has been on the radar of US and Texas agriculture officials for more than a year. In response to the outbreak, the US Agriculture Department launched an aggressive containment campaign, releasing around 100 million sterile flies every week to disrupt the pest's breeding cycle, and deploying roughly 8,000 fly traps along the border to monitor and curb its advance. [music] Federal officials say they're moving quickly to prevent the New World Screwworm from gaining a foothold in Texas. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins [music] says response teams are already on the ground in South Texas, where authorities have established a 12-mile quarantine zone around the detection site. The USDA has also accelerated the release of sterile flies in the area in an effort to stop the pest from reproducing.

[00:04:39]>> To be cleared, just kind of a simple overview, the New World Screwworm is not a worm.

[00:04:46]It's a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on animals, particularly livestock, wildlife, and pets.

[00:04:54]If left untreated, it can cause serious injury or death.

[00:04:58]>> A new [music] sterile fly production facility is being built in South Texas to strengthen long-term defenses against the pest. However, [music] that facility isn't expected to begin operations until the fall of 2027, leaving officials focused on containment efforts in the near term.

[00:05:16]Rollins has sought to reassure both ranchers and consumers, saying the agency is confident there is no threat of mass infestation, and emphasizing that America's food supply remains safe.

[00:05:28]That's because the parasite spreads through open wounds in animals, not through meat, poultry, or dairy products.

[00:05:38]But not everyone is convinced the current measures go far enough. [music] Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has argued that the federal response needs to be more aggressive, calling on President Donald Trump to deploy an additional pest control [music] system that combines targeted insecticides with the existing sterile fly program.

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