State animal health officials drew two more New World screwworm quarantine zones in far West Texas over the weekend, after the flesh-eating parasite was found in a cow in Hudspeth County and a chicken in Presidio County, and federal traps caught fertile wild flies in two more places.
The Texas Animal Health Commission's executive director, Dr. Lewis R. Dinges, signed an order Oct. 31 creating Infested Zone 27 across parts of Culberson and Hudspeth counties, after screwworm was confirmed in a bovine in Hudspeth County on Oct. 30. A second order, signed Nov. 1, created Zone 28 in parts of Presidio and Jeff Davis counties following the Oct. 31 detection in the chicken.
The commission also widened two existing zones on Oct. 31. In each case, the U.S. Department of Agriculture had identified a trapped fertile wild screwworm fly on Oct. 30, one in Pecos County and one in Hudspeth County. The orders cover parts of Brewster, Jeff Davis, Pecos and Reeves counties in one zone and El Paso and Hudspeth counties in the other.
Orders issued last week also note a case in a dog in El Paso County on Oct. 27 and a New Mexico quarantine in Doña Ana County after a dog was found infested less than 12 miles from the Texas line.
What the restrictions mean
The commission's website now lists movement restrictions in parts of 16 counties: Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, Edwards, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Schleicher, Starr, Sutton, Terrell, Val Verde and Zapata. No North Texas county is on the list.
Inside a zone, no warm-blooded animal, livestock or pet, may leave without the commission's approval. Owners must arrange an inspection, have the animal treated and get a movement certificate first. Hides, carcasses and other parts of any animal that can host screwworm must also be inspected and treated before they leave a zone, a rule that reaches hunters taking game out of those areas.
Unauthorized movement can bring administrative penalties or criminal charges.
Why the parasite matters
Screwworm flies lay eggs in wounds and soft tissue of live animals, and the larvae burrow into living flesh. Left untreated, an infestation can cause serious injury and can kill the animal, the orders say.
