Mexico reports its northernmost detection of New World screwworm

Sign up for TPR Today , Texas Public Radio’s newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.

Mexico has confirmed a new case of New World screwworm in a Mexican city, less than 70 miles from the Texas-Mexico border.

New World screwworm (NWS) fly larvae burrow into the flesh of a living animal and are considered a threat to livestock, pets, and wildlife.

The case was identified in Sabinas Hidalgo in the Mexican border state of Nuevo León. Sabinas Hidalgo is located near the major highway from Monterrey, Nuevo León to Laredo — a heavily trafficked commercial route.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said this is now the northernmost detection of the screwworm.

“This is a national security priority,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins in a ne