AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The New World screwworm (NWS) — a maggot which feeds off living flesh — is on Texas's doorstep.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the pest was spotted in by Mexican authorities in Sabinas Hidalgo in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. The city is less than a two-hour drive to Laredo, Texas.

"This is now the northernmost detection of NWS during this outbreak, and the one most threatening to the American cattle and livestock industry," USDA said on Sunday.

According to the USDA, the newest screwworm outbreak in Central America in 2023, and officials started to be concerned about a potential spread as early as January. The parasite last wreaked havoc in the United States in the 1950s, costing farmers an estimated $50-$100 million per year in the Americ

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