LOS ANGELES, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday confirmed a second detection of the New World Screwworm (NWS) in Texas, marking another case in the same county where the first U.S. detection in decades was reported earlier this week.
According to the USDA, the latest case was identified in a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, approximately 9 km from the first confirmed case reported on Wednesday, which involved a three-week-old calf.
NWS is a serious parasitic pest that affects livestock, pets, wildlife and in rare cases, humans. Its larvae infest living tissue by burrowing into wounds and feeding on flesh, causing severe damage to infected animals.
The USDA said it is working closely with Texas authorities to respond to the detections. An emergency response team from the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has been deployed to the site, with mobile response units on the ground and sterile screwworm fly releases underway, totaling about 6 million flies per week through aerial and ground operations.
Movement control zones have been established, and surveillance has intensified. Treatment supplies are being provided through the Texas Animal Health Commission, the USDA said.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said on Thursday that federal and state authorities are fully implementing an emergency response plan to prevent the pest from spreading within the country. ■
