The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed that a cow in South Texas is infected with the New World screwworm. This is the first time this parasite has been found in the state since 1966.

美國農業部（USDA）已確認南德州有一頭牛感染了新世界螺旋蛆。這是自 1966 年以來，該州首次發現這種寄生蟲。

The infection was discovered in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, specifically in a wound near the belly button. This event happened after the parasite moved north through Central America and Mexico, where the USDA reports more than 26,000 cases. Recently, the parasite was found in Coahuila, Mexico, very close to the U.S. border, which shows that previous efforts to stop the insect have failed. In the 1960s and 70s, the U.S. removed the parasite using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which involves releasing sterile male flies into the air to stop the wild population from breeding.

這次感染是在扎瓦拉縣一隻三週大的小牛身上發現的，具體位於肚臍附近的傷口。此次事件發生在該寄生蟲透過中美洲和墨西哥向北遷移之後，美國農業部報告該地區有超過 26,000 宗病例。最近，在墨西哥科阿韋拉州、非常靠近美國邊境的地方發現了該寄生蟲，這顯示先前阻止該昆蟲的努力已失敗。在 1960 和 70 年代，美國使用「昆蟲不育技術」（SIT）根除了該寄生蟲，該技術涉及將不育的雄飛釋放到空中，以阻止野外種群繁殖。

To handle this situation, the USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission have formed a joint command team. They have created a quarantine zone with a 20-kilometer radius, meaning warm-blooded animals cannot be moved out of the area to prevent the parasite from spreading. Consequently, the USDA is releasing sterile flies from the ground and the air. Furthermore, the government is spending $750 million on a new production facility in South Texas. However, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has criticized this plan. He emphasized that the USDA should also use the Screwworm Adult Suppression System (Swass), which uses chemicals to kill adult flies before releasing the sterile ones.

為了處理此情況，美國農業部與德州動物健康委員會組成了一個聯合指揮小組。他們創建了一個半徑 20 公里的隔離區，意味著溫血動物不得移出該區域，以防止寄生蟲傳播。因此，美國農業部正從地面和空中釋放不育飛。此外，政府正斥資 7.5 億美元在南德州建立一個新的生產設施。然而，德州農業委員 Sid Miller 批評了這項計劃。他強調美國農業部還應使用「螺旋蛆成蟲抑制系統」（Swass），該系統在釋放不育飛之前使用化學物質殺死成蟲。

Current efforts are focused on containing this single case through a strict quarantine and the increased release of sterile insects to prevent a larger outbreak.

目前的重點在於透過嚴格的隔離和增加釋放不育昆蟲來控制此單一病例，以防止更大規模的爆發。