Much of the Las Cruces area is now considered part of an “infested zone” after state and federal agriculture officials confirmed New World screwworm cases in a sheep on the New Mexico State University campus and a cow at an off-campus location in Doña Ana County.
Within the zones — which have a radius of at least 12.4 miles around each of the infested animals’ locations — animals, including pets, must be inspected and, if necessary, treated before being moved in or out of the area. A spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture said pet owners who need to transport animals outside the zone should contact the state Livestock Board to arrange the required inspection and confirm applicable requirements before travel.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture had as of Tuesday confirmed nine cases of New World screwworm in New Mexico since the flesh-eating parasite crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in June. Seven are currently active in the southern part of the state.
The federal agency reported a case in Luna County on Monday — the same day the Columbus, N.M., port, also located in Luna County, officially reopened to livestock imports. That case does not yet appear on the state’s screwworm alert website.
The arrival of New World screwworm flies in New Mexico’s second-largest city underscores the need for expanded vigilance — not just among farmers and ranchers, but among pet owners, hunters and members of the public.
“Protecting animal health requires awareness and action from all of us,” New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte said Tuesday in a statement. “With cases now confirmed in Doña Ana County, we encourage the NMSU community and surrounding residents to stay vigilant, recognize the warning signs and report concerns quickly.”
‘An animal welfare issue’
Common in the Caribbean and Central America, the New World screwworm flies’ larvae burrow into the flesh of warm-blooded creatures such as livestock, pets, wildlife and, in rare cases, people, causing painful and putrid wounds. Left untreated, the infestations can kill an animal in seven to 10 days.
The pest, largely eliminated from the U.S. decades ago, returned to the country in June. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has since identified 66 animal infestations across New Mexico and Texas, including one now-inactive case in an elk in Pecos County in West Texas.
Hundreds more New World screwworm cases have been identified in the Mexican border states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas.
Despite that, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has in recent months authorized the reopening of several ports along the U.S.-Mexico border to livestock trade. The port at Santa Teresa — the border crossing in southern Doña Ana County that handles a significant chunk of all American cattle imports — reopened in September. Livestock imports resumed at Columbus on Monday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not respond Tuesday to questions about whether New Mexico’s latest case of New World screwworm in Luna County was related to the Columbus border crossing. The state Agriculture Department confirmed the two recent cases in Doña Ana County were not related to the reopening of the Columbus port of entry.
To ensure they’re screwworm-free, all imported cattle will be inspected at least four times during the import process, with inspections occurring on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, State Veterinarian Dr. Samantha Holeck with the New Mexico Livestock Board said in a previous interview.
Because of those protocols, cattle entering the country through official ports may be “among the safest cattle we’ve got around the United States,” said New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association President Tom Paterson.
“Those cattle are are very unlikely to have New World screwworm,” Paterson said. “But that doesn’t eliminate the reality that screwworms can get here on wildlife. … They can get here on their own.”
Paterson urged vigilance — and not just among ranchers.
Pet owners should keep an eye on their critters, from rabbits to horses, Patterson said. Especially now, in the heart of hunting season, he said hunters and outdoors enthusiasts should report wild critters with unusual injuries.
“It’s an animal welfare issue. We don’t want our our livestock or pets or people, for that matter, to be suffering,” he said.
Margaret O’Hara reports on issues affecting healthy communities in New Mexico. Her work is funded by a grant from Anchorum Health Foundation. Anchorum will not have any role in editorial decisions. The New Mexican and its Public Service Journalism Fund retain full editorial control. Philanthropically funded stories by The New Mexican are made available to all readers without a paywall.
