MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Federal officials have confirmed three new cases of New World screwworm in Texas cattle, bringing the state's total to five in less than a week. The parasite was eradicated from the United States decades ago. Now scientists and ranchers are racing to contain it. Texas Public Radio's Brian Kirkpatrick reports.
BRIAN KIRKPATRICK, BYLINE: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins visited a USDA livestock insect lab in Kerrville, about 65 miles from San Antonio, on Monday. She says Texas is entering what she called a new phase in the battle against screwworm.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BROOKE ROLLINS: We're just at the beginning of this now-new phase of the battle with it on our side of the border, but we will be watching very, very closely.
KIRKPATRICK: The latest detections involve a calf, a goat and a dog found in different parts of Texas. New World screwworm is a flesh-eating parasite whose larvae feed on living tissue. Texas is home to the nation's largest cattle industry, making the outbreak a major concern for ranchers and agricultural officials. Rollins stressed that the outbreak does not pose a food safety risk. To prevent the pests from spreading, federal and state agencies have established quarantine zones and will start releasing sterile flies this week. These flies mate with wild screwworms but produce no offspring, helping suppress the population, but it will take a while. Currently, all sterile flies are imported.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ROLLINS: Our goal is to have enough sterile flies deployed and out into Texas and wherever else this happens to be before the next summer season pops up.
KIRKPATRICK: San Antonio rancher and Texas A&M regent John Bellinger, whom President Trump recently appointed as a senior adviser on screwworm preparedness, says expanding sterile fly production will be crucial.
JOHN BELLINGER: There's a lot of research going on. We hope it works or hope we can come up with something. But the obvious is we need more sterile flies.
KIRKPATRICK: Michael Schmoyer, associate administrator of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, says containing the outbreak will depend in part on ranchers and animal owners voluntarily reporting suspected cases.
MICHAEL SCHMOYER: You want this to get over quicker? Have people report. Ask people to report. Beg people to report. That's what we need.
KIRKPATRICK: Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency for all 254 counties in Texas.
For NPR News, I'm Brian Kirkpatrick in Kerrville, Texas.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.