State and federal leaders discussed plans to fight the New World screwworm during a Friday press conference in Austin.
Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins held the event at approximately 11:30 a.m. at the Texas Capitol.
The screwworm, or Cochliomyia hominivorax, is a parasitic fly whose larvae burrow into the flesh of living animals, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The screwworm can cause severe and often fatal injuries.
The parasite can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, sometimes birds and in rare cases, people.
The U.S. closed its southern border to livestock imports this summer after the screwworm advanced farther north in Mexico, according to the Associated Press.
American officials worry that if the fly reaches Texas, its flesh-eating maggots could cause large economic losses, something that happened decades ago.
The Texas Tribune previously reported that the parasite was eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s but began moving north in 2022 and has now spread into Mexico.
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