Starr County Confirms Its First Screwworm Case

Starr County officials confirmed the county's first case of New World Screwworm on a calf in the western part of the county over the weekend. County Judge Eloy Vera reported that a resident north of Roma flagged a possible case Saturday, and state officials confirmed the case the same day. Vera plans to meet with the Texas Animal Health Commission on Monday to determine next steps.

The parasite behind the outbreak, Cochliomyia hominivorax, disappeared from the United States decades ago after an eradication campaign wiped out domestic populations. That campaign relied on a technique called sterile insect release, in which agencies bred and dispersed millions of sterilized male flies until the wild population collapsed for lack of viable mates. The species has since migrated back north through Central America and Mexico, defying the trade suspensions, sterile fly facilities, and disaster proclamations officials placed in its path. Governor Abbott declared a screwworm disaster in June. Larvae from the parasite burrow into living tissue and consume flesh from the inside out.

Starr County now joins a growing list of confirmed sites. Zavala County reported a case in June, a few miles from an earlier detection. Jim Hogg County, directly north of Starr, reported a case shortly before this one, and the detection pushed part of northern Starr County into what the Texas Animal Health Commission labels an infested zone. Residents packed an information session at South Texas College's Starr Campus to learn what the designation means for their cattle and their daily routines.

USDA suspended cattle imports from Mexico in May 2025, reopened the border in phases, and re-suspended trade when the parasite advanced north faster than the protocols meant to contain the spread. Beef prices climbed to record highs during the stretch, since the smallest domestic cattle herd in seventy-five years struggled to absorb the loss of 1.5 million annual head of Mexican feeder cattle. Ranchers across the Rio Grande Valley now face pressure from a parasite threatening their herds and a supply chain squeezing their margins independently of the outbreak itself.

The disruption extends well beyond Texas. In New Mexico, roughly a third of all cattle the United States imports from Mexico pass through the state's ports of entry, and officials with the New Mexico Border Authority told legislators the import suspension halted a $1.3 billion industry almost overnight. Mexican cattle growers typically ship around 300,000 head each year through the Columbus and Santa Teresa crossings alone, and both ports now sit largely idle. Border Authority officials have noted that planning and investment aimed at stopping the outbreak sits mostly outside New Mexico's borders, leaving local ports to absorb the economic fallout of decisions made elsewhere. The parasite's advance has reshaped livestock trade across three states, extending well beyond the stretch of South Texas closest to the confirmed cases.

County officials are urging residents to stay calm while remaining alert. Public messaging has stayed direct. Officials are asking anyone who spots an animal with unusual wounds to report the finding immediately, and the county continues posting updates.

A larger uncertainty hangs over Starr County, one concerning infrastructure more than any single infected calf. The $750 million sterile fly facility in Edinburg releases hundreds of millions of sterile male flies weekly, using the identical strategy that succeeded the first time the United States eradicated screwworm decades ago. The difference this round lies in timing and geography, since the parasite has already crossed a border, a governor's proclamation, and several rounds of import suspensions before the facility reached full output. A method that took years to prove itself the first time now carries the added burden of catching up to a parasite already established on U.S. soil, and the facility's weekly fly counts have yet to demonstrate an ability to outpace that head start.

@Santitos

@salinasmariasantos

Copyright © 2026 Maria Santos Salinas for FRONTeras.

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