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Arizona reports 1st animal case of New World screwworm after canine found to be infected
ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos • • nation
Key Points:
- Arizona has confirmed its first case of New World screwworm (NWS) in an animal, marking the third U.S. state—after Texas and New Mexico—to report such infections.
- The infected animal, a canine in Cochise County near the Mexico border, was found with a maggot-infested wound consistent with NWS and is currently under veterinary care.
- Officials stress the risk to public health is low, with no human cases reported this year; the last known human infection was linked to travel abroad.
- The USDA is responding by establishing an infested zones, increasing surveillance, and conducting outreach, while Arizona plans to release sterile flies to control the screwworm population.
- NWS is a parasitic fly that causes severe tissue damage to animals and was previously eradicated in the U.S. through sterile insect techniques, but recent cases have reemerged along the southern border.
