US News

Flesh-Eating Screwworm Spreads Outside Texas as More Cases Detected

Officials said an infected dog previously reported as a Texas case was actually the first case in New Mexico. Five cases have been identified.
Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Flesh-Eating Screwworm Spreads Outside Texas as More Cases Detected
Cattle stand behind a fence in Hamilton, Texas, on June 5, 2026. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Darlene McCormick Sanchez
|Updated:
0:00

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that a fifth New World screwworm case had been reported in a Texas goat during a joint news conference with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on June 8 in Kerrville.

The latest case was in Gillespie County, near Fredericksburg, Texas, which is farther away from the border than previous Texas cases. The news came just hours after two other cases were reported, one involving a calf in Texas and the other a dog in New Mexico.

Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Darlene McCormick Sanchez
Darlene McCormick Sanchez
Senior Reporter
Darlene McCormick Sanchez is an Epoch Times reporter who covers border security and immigration, election integrity, and Texas politics. Ms. McCormick Sanchez has 20 years of experience in media and has worked for outlets including Waco Tribune Herald, Tampa Tribune, and Waterbury Republican-American. She was a finalist for a Pulitzer prize for investigative reporting.