Screwworm is reaching wild animal populations in Mexico as it spreads

A caller surge successful New World screwworm (NWS) infestations adjacent Mexico’s bluish borderline is causing interest successful Texas wherever authorities are informing livestock producers to instrumentality preventive enactment immediately.

At the aforesaid time, Mexican authorities expressed alarm aft the decease of a howler monkey, an endangered species, was linked to a larval infestation connected its near forelimb. 

🚨 @MillerForTexas is sending a informing to producers to “get ready” for New World Screwworm entering the U.S. 🚨#agtwitter pic.twitter.com/9BnEDSi439

— RFD-TV (@OfficialRFDTV) January 16, 2026

The incident, which occurred successful Palenque, Chiapas, was the archetypal decease successful Mexico of a chaotic carnal from myiasis caused by NWS. Until now, lone 4 cases of screwworm successful chaotic birds and captive exotic animals were known, each successful Tabasco and Yucatán, and each reportedly recovered aft aesculapian treatment.

NWS is simply a taxon of parasitic blowfly whose larvae burrow into unfastened wounds and devour the surviving insubstantial of warm-blooded animals. It has been steadily moving northbound from Central America implicit the past 16 months, putting the U.S. cattle manufacture connected alert.

The U.S. doubly suspended imports of cattle from Mexico past twelvemonth earlier the find of caller cases adjacent the borderline successful September led to a 3rd closure.  

However, the menace has continued to determination north.

Mexico’s National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica) announced past week that the borderline authorities of Tamaulipas has reported 11 progressive cases of myiasis caused by NWS successful cattle since the archetypal lawsuit was detected determination connected Dec. 31, 2025. The archetypal lawsuit was identified arsenic a six-day-old calf successful a grazing country with an umbilical lesion.

The spike successful cases confirmed by Senasica prompted Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) to impulse Texas livestock producers, particularly those on the border, to cheque livestock each time and dainty immoderate coiled arsenic a imaginable introduction point.

“Pay adjacent attraction to navels connected young animals, isolate thing suspicious and study concerns without delay,” Miller said. “Early detection and assertive surveillance are however we support Texas livestock. Texas producers request to enactment connected precocious alert on our border.”

The TDA said that, arsenic it has not received confirmation that the affected animals reported by Senasica person a past of question extracurricular Tamaulipas, the pest whitethorn present beryllium spreading people alternatively than being introduced done carnal movement. 

The New World screwworm (NWS) has been steadily moving northbound from Central America since past year, putting the U.S. cattle manufacture connected precocious alert. (Isabel Mateos Hinojosa/Cuartoscuro)

The bureau reported that arsenic of Jan. 7, determination were 692 progressive cases of NWS successful 13 Mexican states. Chiapas leads with 137 cases, followed by Oaxaca with 134, Veracruz 117, Guerrero 65 and Quintana Roo 46. 

Of the full progressive cases, 343 are successful cattle and 184 successful dogs, portion 45 pigs, 28 horses, 13 sheep, six goats, 5 cats and 1 workplace vertebrate are besides infected.

With reports from El Universal, Texas Border Business and Imagen Radio