Screwworm tightens around Kerr County as state quarantines three counties to the south

The New World screwworm is closing in on Kerr County from nearly every direction.

The Texas Animal Health Commission on Wednesday designated parts of Bandera, Medina and Uvalde counties — the band of Hill Country directly south of Kerr — as Infested Zone 09, imposing an immediate quarantine on the movement of warm-blooded animals out of the area. Executive Director Lewis R. “Bud” Dinges, D.V.M., signed the order June 24, a day after the parasite was confirmed in a cow in Medina County.

The new zone’s northern boundary runs along the Balcones Escarpment, the geographic seam that marks the southern edge of the Hill Country and the top of Bandera County, which borders Kerr.

For Kerr County livestock owners, the order compounds restrictions many already face. The commission placed portions of Gillespie, Kerr and Kimble counties under quarantine as Infested Zone 03 on June 9, after screwworm turned up in a goat in Gillespie County on June 8. With a fresh detection logged June 21 in Edwards County to the west, the pest has now been confirmed or quarantined to Kerr’s north, northwest, west and south.

What the order requires

Under Zone 09, no warm-blooded animal may leave the zone without prior commission authorization. To move an animal out, it must be inspected, treated and issued a permit or certificate by a TAHC representative. Hides, carcasses and any animal parts capable of hosting the fly must also be inspected and treated before they leave the zone. Unauthorized movement carries administrative penalties and possible criminal prosecution.

The order took effect immediately and remains in force until the commission lifts it — the same terms now governing Kerr County under Zone 03.

How far it has spread

USDA’s national screwworm tracker listed 20 confirmed animal cases as of June 24, all in domestic livestock and spread across Texas and New Mexico since the first U.S. case June 3. Recent Texas detections cluster to Kerr’s west and southwest: cattle and goats in Terrell County, sheep in Crockett County, cattle in Edwards County, and now the Medina County cow that prompted Zone 09.

New World screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae burrow into the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, causing a painful and potentially fatal condition known as myiasis. The USDA classifies it a foreign animal disease. Gov. Greg Abbott has kept a statewide disaster proclamation in place since Jan. 29, renewing it monthly, and issued a new one June 5 after the parasite reached Texas.

What to do

Producers and veterinarians who suspect screwworm in livestock should call TAHC’s 24-hour line at 1-800-550-8242 within 24 hours of a suspected or confirmed case. Suspected infestations in wildlife should be reported to a local Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist. Officials urge owners to check animals for open wounds and to clean, treat and cover any openings promptly.