AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed two agencies to assemble a response team to combat the New World screwworm, which poses a serious threat to Texas livestock and wildlife.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New World screwworms are a species of fly larvae that infest and feed off the flesh of warm-blooded animals.
In a news release, Abbott said, “The mission for the Response Team is clear: to lead Texas’ prevention and response efforts and ensure that Texas remains informed, prepared, and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite.”
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are responsible for establishing the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team.
“As a border state, Texas represents the first line of defense against the potential re-entry of this harmful pest into the United States,” Abbott wrote in a letter to TPWD and TAHC. “Texas played a critical role in eradicating this pest from the United States in the 1960s and will do so again if the need arises.”
U.S. Agriculture Commissioner Brooke Rollins recently announced a multi-national program to stop the spread of screwworms.
The U.S. planned to invest $8.5 million in a dispersal site from Moore Air Base and $20 million in a facility in Mexico that produces sterilized screwworms. The insects will then be released by planes over Mexico to stop them from coming to the U.S.
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