Mexican officials discover new case of screwworm at border with US

Mexican officials confirmed a lawsuit of New World screwworm (NWS) implicit the weekend, conscionable 70 miles from the U.S. border, prompting U.S. authorities to rapidly asseverate they volition instrumentality each indispensable measures to support the country’s livestock manufacture and nutrient security.

In a property release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it volition instrumentality decisive enactment to support U.S. borders, adjacent successful the lack of cooperation. “Protecting the United States from NWS is non-negotiable and a apical precedence of the Trump Administration,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said.

Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica) discovered the latest lawsuit of the flesh-eating pest successful a feedlot successful Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León. 

Senasica informed the USDA that the affected carnal — an 8-month-old cattle — had precocious been moved northbound from a portion successful confederate Mexico with known progressive NWS cases, prompting disapproval from Rollins.

“We person fixed Mexico each accidental and each assets indispensable to antagonistic NWS since announcing the NWS Bold Plan successful June 2025,” she said, adding that the USDA “will not trust connected Mexico to support our industry, our nutrient proviso oregon our mode of life.”

Cows infected with screwworm typically dice of secondary infections oregon toxicity. (Isabel Mateos Hinojosa/Cuartoscuro)

The USDA besides insisted that “the imaginable nexus to carnal question underscores the non-negotiable request for Mexico to afloat instrumentality and comply with the U.S.-Mexico Joint Action Plan.”

After analyzing each accusation related to the caller case, Rollins said the USDA volition prosecute each options to merchandise sterile flies successful this portion arsenic necessary. In June, the U.S. and Mexico reopened a modernized sterile alert accumulation plant successful the confederate Mexican authorities of Chiapas arsenic portion of a associated strategy to combat the NWS.

The NWS, which gets its sanction from the mode it burrows into wounds similar a screw, can beryllium fatal to animals and, successful immoderate cases, humans. 

Screwworm maggots typically participate done an unfastened coiled and provender connected the surviving soma of warm-blooded animals. Infected mammals typically dice of secondary infections oregon toxicity. 

The NWS has been steadily moving northbound from Central America since past year, putting the U.S. cattle manufacture connected precocious alert. The U.S. suspended cattle imports from Mexico successful November 2024 and suspended imports again connected July 9, conscionable implicit a week aft attempting to resume shipments successful phases.

With reports from Reuters, El Universal, Animal Político and El Economista