TEXAS — The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the presence of New World screwworm in a baby calf in Texas in early June 2026. This confirmation initiated a multi-agency response and surveillance efforts across domestic animals in the state.

As of late June 2026, there are 26 confirmed cases of New World screwworm in domestic animals in the U.S., all located in Texas. These cases include cattle, a goat, and a dog. One dog identified with New World screwworm in Texas lives in New Mexico.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization in June 2026 for a generic tablet designed to treat screwworm larvae in small pets. The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on the tissue of living mammal hosts. Female screwworm flies lay eggs in wounds or exposed tissues.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that the screwworm generally does not spread from animal to animal or from animals to people. It also clarified that screwworm is not a food safety issue, and people cannot become infected by eating the meat of an infested animal. Mindy Brashears, Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said, "We can detect anything that's on the animal and it would be removed." She added, "It's not going to affect the meat or any of the products people would eat." Brashears also stated, "We would remove that prior to the food being processed."

No human cases of screwworm have been reported in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,175 human cases of screwworm in Central America and Mexico as of June 22, 2026. Nearly 28,000 cases of screwworm have been confirmed in Mexico since November 2024.

More than 120 full-time staffers are dedicated to the screwworm response. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's programs eradicated screwworm flies in the U.S. in the 1960s, though they reappeared in the 1970s. Screwworm flies were detected in deer in the Florida Keys in 2016. Epidemiological investigators have found no evidence linking Texas screwworm cases to the illicit movement of cattle from Mexico, according to Lewis R. "Bud" Dinges, executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission.