USDA reports three new cases of screwworm, bringing total to 15

June 21 (Reuters) - The number ‌of U.S. ​cases ​of New World screwworm has risen to 15 after three more animals tested positive in Texas, ‌the Department of Agriculture said in a post on ⁠social media on Sunday.

The USDA announcement comes nearly three weeks after ‌the first domestic screwworm infestation ‌in six decades was found in a Texas calf.

New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that eats warm-blooded ​animals alive and can infect livestock, pets, wildlife and, in rare cases, people. The larvae burrow into the living ⁠tissue of animals and cause severe wounds that can eventually kill, leading to signficant ​economic losses for ranchers.

The USDA said it will continue aggressive eradication efforts in affected areas, including ​the dispersal of tens of millions ‌of sterile flies that halt screwworm reproduction.

One lamb in Crockett County and two calves in ⁠Edwards County, Texas tested positive for screwworm in the past 24 hours, according to the USDA's Sunday evening post on X.

Texas ⁠ranchers have been bracing for screwworm to cross into the U.S. for the past ​year, as the pest advanced north in Mexico. Experts have predicted that a widespread outbreak could cost the state $1.8 billion in economic damage ‌and devastate wildlife.

The USDA broke ground in April on a facility to produce sterile flies, ‌which experts describe as the best tool for combating the ⁠pest, but it will ‌not come online ​until late 2027.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Jack Queen; Editing by Sergio Non, Christian Schmollinger and Lincoln ‌Feast.)

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