Photo courtesy of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA) confirmed a new case of New World screwworm (NWS) in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León. This is located just 70 miles from the U.S. border. It is the northernmost detection of the outbreak, and it poses a serious threat to American livestock and food security.

The affected cow had recently been relocated from southern Mexico. This spotlights the risks associated with animal transport. In response, U.S. ports remain closed to imports of cattle, bison and horses from Mexico.

USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said protecting the U.S. from NWS is a top national security priority. She pledged decisive, independent action.

The USDA is executing a five-pronged strategy: innovating eradication technologies, bolstering border defenses, expanding surveillance, enhancing public education, and coordinating with Mexico and international partners. Current measures include dispersing sterile flies from facilities in Panama and Texas, constructing new sterilization plants, and monitoring nearly 8,000 traps across the southern U.S.

The U.S. government is also pursuing unprecedented interagency collaboration, with CDC, FDA, DHS, EPA, and others contributing to surveillance, treatment, sterilization research, and emergency planning. The USDA urges border residents to monitor livestock and pets for signs of infestation and report suspected cases immediately.

Read more about New World Screwworm advancing close to the southern U.S. border here.