Texas battles resurgence of New World screwworm amid drone surveillance blitz and cross-border fightback

Texas is mounting an unusually broad response to New World screwworm following a confirmed bovine case in Zavala County, deploying more than 200 Department of Homeland Security drones across 1,226 surveillance flights covering 23,000 animals, while Washington funds new sterile-fly production capacity in Texas and Arizona and federal analysts warn a major outbreak could inflict up to $1.8 billion in economic damage on the scale of the 1976 Texas infestation.

Texas is confronting a renewed threat from New World screwworm after the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed a bovine case in Zavala County in June, involving a three-week-old calf with larvae in its umbilical area. State officials say the parasite has been moving north through Mexico since late 2024, reviving fears of a livestock disease once considered largely contained in the United States.

The response has become unusually wide-ranging. According to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 200 Department of Homeland Security drones are being used in surveillance flights, with the agency saying the number deployed varies according to need. By 11 August, officials said the effort had covered more than 23,000 animals across 1,226 drone flights. The USDA has also expanded trapping and monitoring along border states, while state health officials continue to urge clinicians and veterinarians to remain alert.

Behind the operational response is a larger industrial and financial burden. Washington is funding new sterile-fly production capacity in Texas and Arizona, alongside spending in Mexico aimed at suppressing the pest before it spreads further. USDA estimates suggest a major outbreak on the scale seen in Texas in 1976 could inflict about $1.8bn in economic damage, underscoring how quickly a veterinary problem can become a broader agricultural and trade risk.