Screwworm Threat Remains Near Eagle Pass as Texas Begins Lifting Some Restrictions, Cattle Raisers Remain Vigilant

By Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2026 Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

EAGLE PASS, Texas — The battle against New World screwworm continues across Texas, with animal health officials reporting 37 affected premises in 16 counties as federal and state authorities work to contain and eventually eradicate the dangerous livestock pest.

For Eagle Pass and Maverick County, the situation remains particularly important because movement restrictions continue in neighboring Val Verde County as well as nearby Uvalde and Zavala counties.

The Texas Animal Health Commission currently lists portions of 19 Texas counties under New World screwworm movement restrictions.

Warm-blooded animals located within designated infested zones generally cannot be moved outside those areas without prior authorization, inspection and appropriate documentation.

While Maverick County is not currently listed among counties with an established infested zone, its location along the Texas-Mexico border and proximity to affected counties makes continued vigilance important for area ranchers, livestock owners, hunters and pet owners.

There is also encouraging news in the state’s fight against the parasite.
On August 31, 2026 the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced that two Texas infested zones had met the requirements necessary to be released from screwworm restrictions.

The action included portions of La Salle and Webb counties and portions of Gillespie, Kerr and Kimble counties.

The release marked the first time Texas screwworm zones have been removed since the parasite was confirmed in the state on June 3, 2026. Livestock and pets in those released areas are no longer subject to screwworm-specific movement requirements.

Texas’ first confirmed case involved a three-week-old calf in Zavala County. Screwworm larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals and can enter through open wounds and body openings.

Livestock are particularly vulnerable, although pets, wildlife and, more rarely, humans can also become infected.
Federal and state officials continue using surveillance, animal inspections and the release of millions of sterile screwworm flies as part of the eradication campaign.

The sterile insect technique helped eliminate the pest from the United States decades ago.

Ranchers and residents should closely inspect livestock and pets for wounds, unusual drainage, foul odors, eggs or maggots, particularly after animals have traveled through areas where restrictions remain in effect.

USDA says the current risk to animals and people in the United States remains very low and emphasizes that screwworm does not represent a food-safety threat.

With restrictions still present immediately north and east of Maverick County, however, Eagle Pass remains close to the front lines of Texas’ continuing effort to stop the screwworm from spreading further.