USDA Confirms Two New Screwworm Cases in Texas as Flesh-Eating Parasite Returns
The USDA has confirmed at least five cases of New World screwworm — a flesh-eating parasitic fly — in Texas and New Mexico, marking the parasite's first confirmed presence in US livestock since the 1960s. The pest, which was eradicated from the US in 1966 and held at bay near the Panama-Colombia border until 2022, has been advancing northward through Central America and Mexico since 2023. The outbreak threatens the already-strained US cattle industry, which is operating with the smallest herd in 75 years and record-high beef prices, prompting emergency responses from multiple states and the federal government.
The USDA confirmed five cases of New World screwworm across Texas and New Mexico as of early June 2026, including infections in three calves, a goat, and a dog — the last of which was reclassified as New Mexico's first case after the animal was found to live there despite initially being reported in Texas. The parasite, whose larvae burrow into the living flesh of warm-blooded animals through open wounds, was eradicated from the US in 1966 using the sterile insect technique (SIT), which involves releasing radiation-sterilized male flies to mate with wild females and collapse the population. The pest breached its long-standing containment barrier near the Darién Gap around 2022 and has been spreading north ever since, with modeling having predicted a US arrival as early as summer 2025. The USDA's primary countermeasure — releasing sterile flies — is constrained by production capacity: the sole North American facility, in Panama, produces about 100 million flies per week, while officials estimate 400 million per week are needed; a $21 million renovation of a Mexican facility and a $750 million new Texas plant are underway but not yet operational. Multiple southern states including Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico have issued emergency movement restrictions on warm-blooded animals, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a statewide disaster, and President Trump appointed a senior screwworm preparedness advisor. The outbreak has intensified a political blame game, with the Trump administration attributing the spread to Biden-era border policies, while Democrats point to DOGE-related cuts to USAID-funded screwworm monitoring programs in Central America, though scientists broadly attribute the spread to northward movement of infested animals rather than human migration. Canada has temporarily halted livestock imports from Texas, and economists warn that even a contained outbreak will prolong the timeline for herd rebuilding and keep beef prices — already at record highs — elevated.
What's missing
It remains unclear whether the DOGE-related cuts to USAID screwworm-monitoring programs in Central America materially accelerated the parasite's US arrival; no independent scientific assessment of that causal link has been published.
How coverage differed
Right-leaning outlets (Fox News, Daily Wire, Breitbart) framed the outbreak primarily as a consequence of Biden administration border failures and cartel-linked cattle movement, while center and left-leaning outlets (Wired, Vox, The Atlantic, Newsweek) gave more weight to scientific explanations for the parasite's northward spread and raised questions about DOGE-related cuts to monitoring programs, presenting the political blame as contested rather than settled.
What different sources said
- The HillCenter
USDA confirms 2 new screwworm cases in Texas
- Yahoo FinanceCenter
Resurgence of flesh-eating New World screwworm in Texas could take a bite out of consumer stocks
- Science DailyCenter
The deadly tapeworm spreading across America has reached the Pacific Northwest
- CNN WorldCenter
What screwworm means for your beef prices
- CTV NewsCenter
Flesh-eating screwworm has reached the U.S. — a comeback driven by organized crime
- SlateLeft
A Flesh-Eating Pest Is Driving Up the Price of Beef. That’s Not the Only Reason to Be Worried.
- The IndependentLeft
USDA reverses course to allow pet dogs to travel from US to Mexico as it tries to slow screwworm spread
- Fox NewsRight
Rollins warns ranchers face 'really scary time' as flesh-eating screwworm resurfaces in Texas cattle
- The AtlanticLeft
The Parasite Threatening America’s Cows
- CNBCCenter
U.S. confirms second Texas screwworm case, Canada restricts livestock imports
- WiredLeft
The US Has a Plan to Combat Screwworm. It Involves a Lot More Flies
- Daily WireRight
America Wiped Out Nightmare Pest In 1966. Biden’s Border Crisis Helped Bring It Back.
- FortuneCenter
The pest that could devastate the American cattle industry was in Texas, but now it’s in New Mexico, too
- AP NewsCenter
A flesh-eating cattle parasite spreads beyond Texas as new screwworm cases are found
- Ars TechnicaCenter
Screwworms in US: Human risk is low—but they can burrow through your skull
- PBS NewsHourLeft
News Wrap: 3 more screwworm cases found in Texas and New Mexico
- VoxLeft
A flesh-eating parasite has arrived in the US. Can we stop it?
- NewsweekCenter
DOGE or Biden? New World Screwworm Blame Game Erupts
- AxiosCenter
New World screwworm confirmed in Texas, stoking fresh cattle fears
- Washington ExaminerRight
America saw the screwworm coming. Why weren’t we prepared?
- BreitbartFar Right
Texas' First Screwworm-Infected Calf Fully Recovers
- BNN BloombergCenter
Texas parasite outbreak risks disrupting Canada’s beef exports
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