Screwworm fly found in American wildlife
The discovery in Texas heightens concerns about the spread of a parasitic fly previously eradicated in the United States.
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has detected the New World screwworm fly in wildlife in the United States for the first time in decades. The discovery was made in a wapiti in Pecos County, Texas, and is part of an outbreak whose scale remains unknown.
The USDA announced the discovery on Wednesday. The animal was found in Pecos County, in western Texas. According to Reuters, it is the first confirmed detection of the parasite in American wildlife during the current outbreak. The 2026 discovery says nothing in itself about earlier cases in livestock.
The screwworm fly is a parasitic fly whose larvae develop in the wounds of warm-blooded animals. This can cause serious damage and poses a particular risk to livestock and wildlife. The fly is not the same as the common housefly and does not spread through human-to-human contact.
The United States eradicated the species in 1966 through intensive monitoring and the controlled release of sterile males. The current outbreak moved northwards from Central America and Mexico. Authorities are trying to limit further spread through trapping, research and the release of sterile flies.
The discovery in wildlife is important because it shows that the problem is not linked only to kept livestock. Wild animals are more difficult to control and can spread the parasite across larger areas. The USDA is therefore working with states and other federal agencies on surveillance and research.
For people, the risk is very low, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC stresses that the fly does not cause an infectious disease such as a virus. This assessment concerns the risk to the general population.
The new discovery does not mean that the parasite has already spread widely across the United States. Authorities still need to determine how the animal became infected and which other animals or areas may be involved. It is not yet clear what further measures will follow.
For the Netherlands, the development is mainly relevant to international livestock farming, animal health and trade. The discovery is not an indication of an infection in the Netherlands. It does show, however, how quickly a previously eradicated pest can have renewed consequences when it moves northwards from neighbouring areas.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The USDA confirmed a detection of the parasite in a wild animal in Texas.
- The United States is combating the species through monitoring and sterile flies.
- The CDC assesses the risk to the general population as very low.
- The consequences for livestock and wildlife may be greater than those for people.
Left
Arguments The outbreak calls for public coordination and prevention, because individual livestock farmers and states cannot control the spread among wildlife on their own. Investment in surveillance and animal welfare is justified, even if the direct risk to people is small.
Values Public responsibility, animal welfare and prevention.
Consequences More monitoring and support for farmers could limit economic damage, but would require long-term public funding.
Centre
Arguments The government must act quickly on the basis of data, while keeping measures proportionate. First improve surveillance and pursue targeted control; only then introduce broad restrictions on trade or transport if the facts justify them.
Values Scientific evidence, proportionality and institutional cooperation.
Consequences A phased approach could prevent panic and unnecessary trade barriers while ensuring that new infections are detected in time.
Right
Arguments Control efforts should focus primarily on protecting livestock farmers, property and food production. Government programmes should remain efficient and temporary and must not develop into broad restrictions on farmers or trade.
Values Economic freedom, national food security and limited government power.
Consequences Targeted measures limit the burden on businesses, but too little joint action could allow the pest to spread more quickly.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The main claims were confirmed directly or through an independent source. The text keeps the assessment of the risk to people and the still-unknown route of spread separate from the confirmed discovery.
- confirmed The USDA confirmed on 21 October 2026 that the screwworm fly had been found in a wapiti in Pecos County, Texas. — Reported by Reuters and Axios. source
- confirmed The species was eradicated from the United States in 1966. — Confirmed by the CDC. source
- confirmed Control efforts use sterile males, monitoring and cooperation between agencies. — Description of the USDA and CDC approach. source
- confirmed The risk to the general population in the United States is very low. — The CDC assesses the risk to the population as very low. source
- confirmed The precise route of infection and the scale of the spread remain unknown. — The sources used report the discovery, but no definitive route of spread or full extent. source
Editor's note
The discovery in a wapiti in Texas and the broader context were confirmed by Reuters, Axios and US government sources. The precise route of infection and the scale of the spread remain unknown; no conclusions have therefore been drawn about them.Sources
- US Agriculture Dept confirms first detection of New World screwworm in US wildlife — Reuters via MarketScreener
- New World screwworm spreads to Texas wildlife, raising outbreak concerns — Axios
- Risk to people in the United States from the New World screwworm outbreak — CDC
- Confirmed Detections of New World Screwworm — USDA APHIS
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „schroefwormvlieg texas”
- De Telegraaf — „schroefwormvlieg texas”
- Trouw — „schroefwormvlieg texas”