Valley county judges meet to address New World screwworm threat
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There are multiple active cases of the New World screwworm in Mexico.
It's a parasitic fly that feasts on the wounds of warm-blooded animals, which includes cattle, deer, dogs and cats.
Out of the nearly 2,000 active cases in Mexico, 200 are near the border with Texas, but there are no active cases in the United States.
On Monday, all four Rio Grande Valley county judges held a press conference on the New World screwworm to make sure everyone is aware of the parasite and of the skin infections related to it in all warm-blooded animals.
The fly lays eggs on open wounds that create the screwworm parasites. It can kill livestock if left untreated.
During the press conference, public health and agriculture officials spoke about the screwworm. They emphasized it's not about if the screwworm will get here, but when it'll get here.
"We do have some good drugs available that we didn't have back in the day, but I want everyone to understand that these same pesticides are available in South America, Central America and Mexico and it hasn't stopped the fly from getting close to our border," Texas Animal Health Commission Dr. Sandra Leyendecker said.
There are no screwworm cases in the U.S. The USDA broke ground last month on a multi-million dollar facility at Moore Air Base near Edinburg to produce sterile flies as part of an effort to protect the cattle industry from the screwworm.
A spokesperson with the Texas Animal Health Commission is asking pet owners to cover up and treat wounds on any of their warm-blooded pets.
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