USDA confirms – A new New World screwworm case in La Salle County, Texas, brings the U.S. total to six confirmed cases—five in Texas and one in New Mexico—prompting expanded surveillance, outreach, and guidance for animal owners and veterinarians to watch for infections.
For Texas ranchers and pet owners, the worry is no longer abstract. The U.S. has confirmed a new New World screwworm case in Texas—a development that pushes the confirmed total to six cases across the country, with five in Texas and one in New Mexico.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed a second case in La Salle County, Texas, involving a calf. The new confirmation came a day after the USDA reported the first case in the county.
As of Tuesday, June 9, the USDA’s screwworm dashboard shows six confirmed cases in the United States. Five are in Texas, and one is in New Mexico.
The USDA said it is working closely with the Texas Animal Health Commission to respond and continue investigating the latest case. Federal–state field teams have already expanded their surveillance and response measures in the area, including:
Joint epidemiological investigations and case tracing. Additional surveillance, testing and trapping in the affected areas. Releasing sterile insects and adjusting operations as needed to achieve the most effective coverage. Conducting outreach to animal owners. Ongoing coordination with local officials, veterinarians, ranchers and community partners.
USDA also urged animal owners to monitor their animals for screwworm infection and to report any suspected livestock cases to the Texas Animal Health Commission at 1-800-550-8242. For suspected wildlife cases, the agency directed people to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at 512-389-4505.
The expanding U.S. list includes the specific Texas locations now listed by the USDA:
Gillespie County: one case found in a domestic goat.
La Salle County: two cases found in domestic cattle.
Zavala County: two cases found in domestic cattle.
New Mexico, too, is now part of the active map. A case has been confirmed in a dog in New Mexico. The USDA says it was first reported on June 7 by a veterinarian in Andrews County, Texas, but it is classified as a Lea County, New Mexico, case because the dog lives there.
The sequence—another Texas detection a day after the first in La Salle County. then the dashboard total rising to six—has pushed officials toward faster field coordination. The same playbook is now in motion across counties. from expanded trapping and testing to outreach aimed at catching infections early. before they can spread further.
For now, the message from federal and state officials is direct: watch closely, report suspected cases promptly, and let investigators trace how the parasite is moving through animals and communities.
New World screwworm Texas Animal Health Commission USDA screwworm dashboard La Salle County Zavala County Gillespie County Lea County New Mexico sterile insects livestock surveillance animal owners guidance