New World screwworm cases confirmed in cow in New Mexico, wildlife in Texas, officials say

WASHINGTON, Oct 21 — The New Mexico Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday that it ​had confirmed a case of New World screwworm in a beef cow.

• The department said it is continuing to ‌expand surveillance around affected locations to identify any additional cases and determine whether the pest ⁠has spread beyond the affected ​animals

• "We are working closely with ⁠our state and federal partners to investigate these cases, increase surveillance ‌and monitor for ‌additional infestations," Samantha Holeck, state veterinarian with the New Mexico ⁠Livestock Board, said in a statement

• ⁠The news came after the US Department of Agriculture said earlier in the day that it had confirmed the first detection of flesh-eating parasite New World screwworm in US wildlife in an elk in Pecos County, Texas

• The elk was located ‌on a game ranch and was reported after ​being harvested by a hunter, the USDA said in a statement

• The Texas Animal Health Commission will modify a previously established infested zone, and the USDA and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are conducting additional wildlife surveillance in the area, the USDA said

• Eradicated from the US decades ago, the pest ​has surged north from Central America through Mexico, prompting Washington to impose ‌a more than ‌year-long ⁠ban on Mexican cattle imports

• The US halted livestock imports from Mexico last year to keep out screwworm but resumed trade in August at an Arizona port as part of a phased reopening plan

• ‌The halt tightened US cattle ​supplies, contributing to a rise in ‌beef prices to record ⁠highs for ​American consumers

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis and ​Christopher Cushing)

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