Screwworm Count Reaches 48 as Dog Case in Crockett County Opens Infested Zone 20

The New World screwworm outbreak has added its 48th U.S. case — and the epicenter is active again. USDA's case-level dashboard confirmed a dog infestation in Crockett County on August 31, the county's first new detection in seven weeks and its twelfth case overall.

Forty-seven of the 48 U.S. cases are in Texas; the remaining case is the dog confirmed in Lea County, New Mexico, in early June. Three cases are now listed as active under mitigation — the two August detections in Val Verde County and the new Crockett County dog — with 45 inactive.

Crockett County's first case since July 10

Crockett County leads Texas with 12 confirmed cases in sheep, goats, cattle and now a dog, but had gone quiet since a goat case was confirmed July 10. The August 31 detection is the third Texas dog case of the outbreak, after Pecos County in late June and Sutton County in mid-July.

The day after the confirmation, the Texas Animal Health Commission issued an Executive Director Order designating parts of Crockett County as Infested Zone 20. Warm-blooded animals may not leave the zone without prior authorization, inspection, any required treatment and a movement certificate, and hides, carcasses and animal parts must be inspected and treated before transport.

A slow August closes with four cases

The dog case is the fourth U.S. confirmation in August, after the August 5 sheep in Terrell County and the two August detections in Val Verde County — against 14 cases confirmed in July and 31 in June. TAHC's situation summary counts 16 affected counties across 38 premises, and movement restrictions remain in parts of 19 counties after the state's first infested-zone releases took areas of five counties off the quarantine map the same day the Crockett dog was confirmed.