Story perspectives

Texas Screwworm Outbreak Sparks $1.8B Disaster, Sterile-Fly Quarantine

6/8/2026

Summary

Story summary

The discovery triggered a 12-mile quarantine and release of sterile flies to block the parasite.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed a New World screwworm case in a calf in La Pryor, Texas, with no further detections.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects $1.8 billion in losses, prompting Governor Greg Abbott to declare disaster, fund a sterile-fly facility for 2027, and causing Canada’s inspection agency to ban Texas livestock.

History

Historical Context

In 1958 the USDA, guided by entomologist Edward F. Knipling, deployed the sterile-insect technique that wiped out the New World screwworm in the United States by 1966 after releasing over 94 billion sterile flies. The 2026 detections in Zavala County, Texas, echo those historic outbreaks, prompting officials to restart sterile-fly releases to protect livestock.

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Story summary

The discovery triggered a 12-mile quarantine and release of sterile flies to block the parasite.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed a New World screwworm case in a calf in La Pryor, Texas, with no further detections.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects $1.8 billion in losses, prompting Governor Greg Abbott to declare disaster, fund a sterile-fly facility for 2027, and causing Canada’s inspection agency to ban Texas livestock.

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