Texas screwworm cases rise to 4 as USDA steps up containment
What's new: Officials found 2 more cases in a calf and a dog, while the USDA said it is releasing 10 million sterile flies a week.
Federal officials confirmed two additional New World screwworm cases in Texas on Monday, bringing the total to four in the first known U.S. detections since the 1960s. The new cases involved a calf in La Salle County and a dog in Andrews County; the USDA said early reports indicate the dog had recently been in Mexico. The flesh-eating parasite threatens livestock, wildlife, pets and, in rare cases, people, but the agency said it does not infest meat, produce or other food products. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the U.S. is investing more than $1 billion in an eradication campaign and is releasing about 10 million sterile flies a week to keep the pest from spreading farther north.