Canada has imposed a temporary ban on livestock from Texas after cases of flesh-eating screwworm were confirmed in two calves this week. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced that cattle and horses from Texas will not be permitted entry if they were in the state within 21 days of crossing the border.
The New World Screwworm, a parasitic fly, lays eggs in open wounds of living warm-blooded animals, including humans. Once hatched, larvae burrow into the flesh and can be fatal if untreated.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster on Friday, calling the outbreak an “imminent threat” to the state’s agricultural industry. He warned, “This is likely to spread over the course of the summer.”
The first case in 60 years was found on a calf in La Pryor, near the Mexico border. A second case appeared days later in Zavala County within a designated control zone. The USDA has enacted quarantines, movement controls, and surveillance.
The outbreak is part of a wider spread moving through Central America and Mexico. Officials in the U.S. and Canada are working to contain the parasite, which was considered eradicated in the U.S. in 1966.