Travis County has declared a local disaster to help officials tackle the growing threat of New World screwworm in Texas.
County Judge Andy Brown signed the disaster declaration at a news conference Friday morning. He emphasized that the move was preemptive, and that there are no known cases in the county.
"This declaration is a proactive measure that allows us to better coordinate resources, strengthen communication with our state and federal partners, and ensure we're prepared to respond quickly if this pest is detected in our region," Brown said.
The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that lays eggs in the flesh of living, warm-blooded animals. Open wounds and exposed areas of the body, like the nose, eyes, ears and mouth, are places where the eggs can hatch and larvae can grow while feeding on the tissue, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fly threatens livestock, wildlife, pets and, more rarely, people.
After the first U.S. case in decades was confirmed on June 3 in a Zavala County calf, the number of detections has continued to grow. All but one of them is in Texas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The cases are mostly in cattle, but also include two goats and one dog.
Travis County's natural resources program is working with state and federal authorities to monitor county lands for screwworm. This includes watching remote wildlife cameras and observing wildlife in the field for signs of injury and unusual behavior — which is standard guidance for detection from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Brown said.
If the county finds a suspected case, staff will immediately document it and report it to the state, Brown said.
Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority and medical director for Austin Public Health, said the local healthcare system is working with providers on how to identify, report and treat cases. If a healthcare provider sees someone with maggots, they have instructions to collect the maggots, kill them with a solution and send them to the Texas Department of State Health Services for testing.
Although the risk of screwworm in humans is low, Walkes said people should stay vigilant for symptoms, which include signs of maggots, wounds and sores that get worse over a few days, foul odors from wounds, and bleeding from sores. If anyone experiences those symptoms, they should go to their doctor for testing and treatment.
Officials also stressed the importance of monitoring pets for wounds, bad smells or larvae, and calling a veterinarian if there are any concerns. Suspected cases in wildlife should be reported to Texas Parks & Wildlife.
Caldwell County is also issuing a disaster declaration before any confirmed cases in the county. County Judge Hoppy Haden was at the news conference to encourage livestock owners to keep on top of parasite prevention, check animals for signs of infestation and report possible cases to the Texas Animal Health Commission.
"I'm hearing a lot of my fellow producers say, I'm not going to report if I get it. Please report it to the Animal Health Commission," said Haden, who is also a cattle rancher. "It's important that they know where it is, and the sooner that we all deal with it, the sooner that we'll get this behind us."
To help with screwworm containment, the Texas Animal Health Commission is enforcing an animal quarantine in parts of 10 counties — not including Travis or Caldwell — causing Austin Wildlife Rescue to stop accepting warm-blooded animals from those areas.
A disaster declaration allows counties to respond more quickly to urgent issues, opens up access to funding and increases awareness, Brown said. Gov. Greg Abbott has also issued a disaster declaration for the state of Texas.
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