Texas Issues Disaster Declaration as Flesh-Eating Parasite Spreads North from Mexico
Texas is bracing for the latest invasion of Mexican parasites.
On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration to kick the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team into action.
“Although the New World screwworm fly is not yet present in Texas or the U.S., its northward spread from Mexico toward the U.S. southern border poses a serious threat to Texas’ livestock industry and wildlife,” Abbott said in a news release.
“State law authorizes me to act to prevent a threat of infestation that could cause severe damage to Texas property, and I will not wait for such harm to reach our livestock and wildlife,” he said.
USDA updates their Screwworm page on Thursday afternoon. Yesterday’s update showed 5 new cases added in two specific North/Central states. There have now been regular findings since the start of the year in these specific states. pic.twitter.com/2zPa3IdmWW
— Rich Nelson (@RichNelsonMkts) January 30, 2026
“With this statewide disaster declaration, the Texas NWS Response Team can fully utilize all state government prevention and response resources to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite,” he continued.
“Texas is prepared to fully eradicate this pest if need be,” Abbott said.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said the screwworm “was previously eradicated from the United States in the 1960s.”
However, it made a comeback in the post-pandemic world, according to the Texas Animal Health Commission.
Central American cases “have quickly increased since 2023, expanding to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and El Salvador.”
Producers in South Texas main on high alert with recent reports of the dangerous New World Screwworm in Mexico.
Veterinarian Dr. Mike Vickers explains what he’s hearing from ranchers
📹 credit: @FrankMcCaffrey1 pic.twitter.com/3yVtRsz2Gz
— RFD-TV (@OfficialRFDTV) January 22, 2026
The parasite was detected in Mexico in November 2024. “Progressive Northern spread of NWS has been confirmed in Mexico since the original detection,” the site said.
The agency added that the parasite was wiped out previously using “the sterile insect technique.”
“Sterile fly dispersal efforts to eradicate NWS in previously pest-free areas are underway to re-establish the biological border,” the agency said.
The concept is that sterile flies mate with non-sterile ones, producing no offspring.
The federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service wrote that “the name screwworm refers to the maggots’ feeding behavior as they burrow (screw) into the wound, feeding as they go like a screw being driven into wood.”
Thank you, @GovAbbot, for focusing resources on protecting Texas from the New World Screwworm!
In DC, I’m leading efforts to make sure Texas farmers and ranchers are prepared to combat this dangerous pest if it’s spread northward continues to the U.S.-Mexico border. https://t.co/OlkzpmoxQ2
— Rep. Monica De La Cruz (@RepMonicaDLC) January 29, 2026
“Maggots cause extensive damage by tearing at the hosts’ tissue with sharp mouth hooks. The wound can become larger and deepen as more maggots hatch and feed on living tissue. As a result, NWS can cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal,” it wrote.
“Adult screwworm flies are about the size of a common housefly (or slightly larger). They have orange eyes, a metallic blue or green body, and three dark stripes along their backs.”
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