USDA confirmed a second New World screwworm case in Texas, prompting Canada to temporarily restrict livestock imports from affected areas.
The latest case was found in a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, about 5.6 miles from the first confirmed case announced earlier this month, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said Friday. Additional samples collected nearby have tested negative so far.
New World screwworm larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, causing severe wounds that can be fatal without treatment. The parasite can affect livestock, wildlife, pets and, rarely, humans.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday it will temporarily restrict imports of livestock, including horses, from affected areas of the United States. Animals that originated in or were present in Texas within 21 days before crossing the border will not be allowed to enter Canada.
Federal and state officials said the second case was detected inside an existing movement-control zone created after the first finding. The area is also within a zone where sterile insects are being released to suppress the pest’s population.
“USDA has not wasted any time in this fight, we have defeated New World screwworm before, and we will do it again,” Dudley Hoskins, the agency’s under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said in a statement.
The USDA said the U.S. food supply remains safe. The agency said New World screwworms do not infest meat, fruits, vegetables or other food products, and that any affected animal would be identified during inspection before product could enter commerce.
Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening urged livestock owners to watch closely and report suspected infestations quickly. Officials are now focused on surveillance, movement controls and eradication measures around the affected area.
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