A cow in Mexico tested positive for New World screwworm about 60 miles from the Texas border, state Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a Monday news release.

The fly lays its eggs in open wounds on cattle, feeding off their flesh and potentially devastating entire herds.

The infection was confirmed in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.

The USDA has been releasing sterile flies from a facility north of Edinburg to combat the spread.

RELATED STORY: Federal government breaks ground on sterile screwworm fly facility near Edinburg

Miller is asking ranchers to monitor their cattle and report anything suspicious. See Miller’s statement in full below:

“The threat of the New World screwworm is creeping dangerously close to our border. A confirmed case in Nuevo León, just about 60 miles from the United States, in a young calf is a flashing red warning sign we will not ignore.

This is now the northernmost active case in Mexico, and that puts Texas squarely in the crosshairs. The fact that this detection falls within the current sterile fly dispersal zone tells you just how real and active this fight already is. USDA has been working with Mexican authorities to track and respond, and those efforts matter, but this is no time to let up.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: when it comes to protecting our livestock industry we must go on offense. That means ramping up surveillance, tightening coordination at the border, and making absolutely certain every available resource is deployed to stop this dangerous pest.

Our ranchers feed this country and fuel the Texas economy. They deserve vigilance, urgency, and action. We’ve beaten the New World screwworm before, and we will beat it again, but only if we treat this threat with the seriousness it demands right now.”