Second New World Screwworm case confirmed in Texas

Added: 2026-06-10

[00:00:00]It's breaking news tonight. Texas Parks and Wildlife just announced a second confirmed case of New World screwworm in the state. They say it was found in a calf in Zavala County where the first was found this week. This as Governor Greg Abbott signed a declaration to help speed up the response to the flesh-eating parasite that could threaten the state's cattle. Sterilized flies are the best technique to stop the spread of the worm by disrupting its reproductive cycle.

[00:00:25]In previous outbreaks, the US needed 500 million sterile flies per week. Today, there are only 100 million being produced weekly.

[00:00:33]The federal government is a schedule to open a sterile fly facility in South Texas, but not until November of 2027.

[00:00:41]The governor says it needs to be built faster.

[00:00:43]>> We cannot make it through a second summer. And so what I'm pushing for is to try to get the facility under construction in the state of Texas completed uh by May of next year as opposed to November of next year.

[00:00:58]>> And the governor's declaration makes any and all state resources available to ensure 24/7 construction on this facility.

[00:01:05]When it's fully up and running, it should be able to produce 300 million sterile flies per week. I'll go ahead and adapt. Texas is home to 17 billion dollars worth of the nation's cattle, number one in the country. The fly used to be a problem for ranchers every year in the 1930s until its eradication in the 1960s.