AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration as the next step to prevent an infestation of the flesh-eating new world screwworm.
Screwworm disaster declaration
The latest:
As part of the declaration, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is tasked with establishing a joint Texas New World Screwworm Response Team. The department is directed to partner with the Texas Animal Health Commission in doing so. The team will be responsible for "coordination, information-sharing, and stakeholder engagement among state, federal, and industry partners."
Flesh-eating screwworms detected near Texas border
The discovery comes about a month after an $850 million plan was announced to battle the parasitic insect in Texas.
The declaration also mentions the $850 million plan to fight the screwworm in Texas. Most of that money will be spent on building a sterile male fly production facility near the border. The facility will produce 300 million sterile male flies a week to be dropped into target areas where the screwworm is now. Those male flies help to reduce the population size through mating without reproducing.
RELATED: U.S. to spend $850M fighting screwworm fly that's threatening Texas livestock
What they're saying:
"Although the New World screwworm fly is not yet present in Texas or the U.S., its northward spread from Mexico toward the U.S. southern border poses a serious threat to Texas' livestock industry and wildlife," said Abbott. "State law authorizes me to act to prevent a threat of infestation that could cause severe damage to Texas property, and I will not wait for such harm to reach our livestock and wildlife. With this statewide disaster declaration, the Texas NWS Response Team can fully utilize all state government prevention and response resources to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite. Texas is prepared to fully eradicate this pest if need be."
Flesh-eating screwworm may be moving closer to Texas on its own, ag commissioner says
A Texas agency is concerned that the flesh-eating New World screwworm could be getting closer to Texas without commercial livestock movement.
What are New World screwworms?
Dig deeper:
The insect gets its name because it’s only found in the Americas.
It lays its eggs in the open wounds of animals, and its larvae become parasites, threatening livestock, domestic animals, and even people.
The screwworm was mostly eradicated in Texas and the rest of the United States in the 60s. But now, it’s moving north up from Panama and has a known presence a little over 300 miles south of the Texas-Mexico border.
Most recently, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said a screwworm had been detected in a cow in González, Tamaulipas, a little more than 200 miles from the southern Texas border.
According to the commissioner, the cow had no reported history of movement outside Tamaulipas, and is the third active case reported there. Miller expressed concerns that the parasite may be moving closer to Texas on its own, without the commercial movement of cattle.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and previous FOX Local coverage.