Flesh-eating screwworm detected 25 miles from U.S. border, USDA says

A flesh-eating New World screwworm was recently detected in Mexico just 25 miles from the United States border, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture . The encounter was the closest to U.S. soil since at least last September, federal data shows. The screwworm was found in a 5-year-old goat on Thursday in Mexico's Coahuila state, which shares a border with southwestern Texas. U.S. officials have tracked 32 cases of the parasitic fly throughout the Mexican state, including 19 active cases, according to the USDA. Overall, at least 26,216 screwworm cases have been identified across Mexico, and upward of 2,700 remain active, the USDA said. The department shares updates twice a week on any new cases found within 400 miles of the U.S. in Mexico, and it prominently notes on a webpage dedicated to the New World screwworm that the pest "is not currently present" stateside and that "the current risk to livestock, other animals, and people in the United States remains very low." But in recent months and years, the parasite has shown up closer to the U.S. than ever before. In April, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced it had been found at a location in Mexico that was 60 miles from the U.S. border, CBS Texas reported at the time. Texas officials have warned outdoor enthusiasts about the parasite since late 2024 , when the state's Parks and Wildlife Department issued an advisory saying the screwworm had recently been detected in a cow in southern Mexico. …