Federal and state officials have confirmed the first case of New World screwworm in Texas since 1966. As a result, they have created quarantine zones and started using biological control methods to stop the parasite from spreading.

聯邦與州政府官員已確認德州自 1966 年以來首例新世界螺旋蠅個案。因此，他們設立了隔離區，並開始採用生物防治方法以阻止該寄生蟲傳播。

The parasite was found in a three-week-old calf in La Pryor, Zavala County, which is about 80 kilometers from the Mexican border. This follows a trend of the parasite moving north through Central America and Mexico since 2023. The screwworm is dangerous because its larvae eat the living tissue of warm-blooded animals. While infections in humans are rare in the U.S., the CDC reported over 2,000 cases and 10 deaths in Mexico and Central America since 2023.

在距離墨西哥邊境約 80 公里的扎瓦拉郡 La Pryor，一隻三週大的小牛身上發現了該寄生蟲。這是繼 2023 年起，該寄生蟲在中美洲與墨西哥向北移動的趨勢之後發生的。螺旋蠅非常危險，因為其幼蟲會取食暖血動物的活組織。雖然在美國極少見到人類感染，但 CDC 報告指出，自 2023 年起，墨西哥與中美洲已有超過 2,000 例個案及 10 例死亡。

To prevent the spread, the Texas State Veterinarian set up a 20-kilometer quarantine zone to limit the movement of animals. The main strategy is the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), where sterile male flies are released to stop wild females from reproducing. However, there is a shortage of sterile flies. The only active factory in Panama produces about 100 to 117 million flies per week, whereas past efforts required 500 million. Consequently, the USDA is repairing a facility in Mexico and building a $750 million plant in Texas, which should be finished by late 2026 or 2027.

為了防止傳播，德州州獸醫設立了 20 公里的隔離區以限制動物移動。主要策略是採用「不育昆蟲技術 (SIT)」，透過釋放不育的雄飛，阻止野生雌飛繁殖。然而，目前不育飛數量短缺。位於巴拿馬唯一的在運工廠每週僅生產約 1 億至 1.17 億隻飛，而過去的防治工作需要 5 億隻。因此，美國農業部 (USDA) 正在維修墨西哥的設施，並在德州興建一座 7.5 億美元的工廠，預計於 2026 年底或 2027 年完工。

Economic and political issues are also making the response difficult. The U.S. cattle industry is worth $113 billion but is currently facing small herd sizes and high prices. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins emphasized that illegal cattle movement and poor containment in Mexico caused the arrival of the parasite. Other experts asserted that climate change and warmer winters also played a role. Furthermore, some reports suggest that staffing and funding cuts at the USDA in early 2025 have weakened the ability to monitor and respond to such threats.

經濟與政治問題也使應對工作變得困難。美國牛業價值 1,130 億美元，但目前面臨牛群規模縮小與價格高漲的問題。農業部長 Brooke Rollins 強調，非法移動牛隻以及墨西哥防疫不力導致了寄生蟲的入侵。其他專家則認為氣候變遷與冬季回溫也扮演了重要角色。此外，有報告指出，美國農業部在 2025 年初削減人手與資金，削弱了監測與應對此類威脅的能力。

Currently, officials are focusing on containing this single case through quarantine and the SIT method, while the U.S. works to increase the production of sterile flies to prevent a larger outbreak.

目前官員專注於透過隔離與 SIT 方法來控制此單一病例，同時美國正努力增加不育飛的產量，以防止更大規模的爆發。