Unveiling the Return: The New World Screwworm Fly's Resurgence in the U.S. and What It Means for You - Internewscast Journal

For the first time in more than fifty years, the New World screwworm fly threatens the United States' cattle industry, a sector valued at about $113 billion. Authorities confirmed an infestation of flesh-eating larvae in southern Texas, traced to a three-week-old calf in La Pryor, roughly 100 miles southwest of San Antonio and 50 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Federal and state agencies have placed livestock sectors on high alert to prevent the parasite from spreading into Texas. The state's cattle market alone is worth around $17 billion, highlighting the economic stakes involved. Historically eradicated in the U.S. through sterile male releases, the flies currently pose a renewed risk to livestock and the broader agricultural economy.