Total confirmed screwworm cases rises to 27, 6 inactive: USDA
By Armando Ramirez
KVIA.com
June 28, 2026
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- As of Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the total reported New World (NWS) screwworm cases increased to 27.
According to the USDA NWS detection map, the agency has confirmed twelve cases in Texas since June 23. The most recent case, confirmed Saturday, came from cattle in Crockett County, Texas, which is about two hours southeast of Fort Stockton.
Since the first confirmed detection in June 3, the USDA confirmed 27 total animal cases. According to the department's website, the USDA says 6 of those are inactive.
The USDA determines a case as inactive when the animal recovered or measures have been taken to prevent spreading NWS.
Source: https://kvia.com/news/2026/06/28/total-confirmed-screwworm-cases-rises-to-27-6-inactive-usda/
USDA Secretary Rollins a Part of the Official Opening of the Sterile Fly Production Facility in Metapa, Mexico; Jim Hogg County reports its first confirmed case of New World screwworm; Crockett County Reports 4 New Screwworm Cases in One Day; U.S. Total Rises to 25
USDA Secretary Rollins a Part of the Official Opening of the Sterile Fly Production Facility in Metapa, Mexico
Oklahoma Farm Report
June 28, 2026
Even as USDA announced another New World Screwworm infestation in south Texas on Saturday in Jim Hogg County, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was in Metapa, Mexico, to officially open the new sterile fly facility. that USDA started building in coordination with the Mexican government eleven months ago.
The United States Department of Agriculture invested $21 million to renovate and convert an existing fruit fly facility in Metapa, Mexico. Once complete, the facility is expected to produce an additional 60-100 million sterile NWS flies per week. Mexico expects first eradiation mid-July to produce 30 million flies.
Jim Hogg County reports its first confirmed case of New World screwworm
By: José Luis Martínez
KRIStv.com
June 26, 2026 at 7:45 PM CDT
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Jim Hogg County has confirmed its first case of New World screwworm, according to a statement from County Judge Juan Carlos Guerra.
The screwworm was identified in the Guerra area, southwest of Hebbronville. [1 cattle case - US total NWS cases now 26]
[See map: https://screwworm.texasagriculture.gov/map ]
Crockett County Reports 4 New Screwworm Cases in One Day; U.S. Total Rises to 25
By Lucas Banda
SanAngeloLive.com
June 26, 2026
CROCKETT COUNTY, TX - Four new cases of New World screwworm were confirmed in domestic sheep in Crockett County on Wednesday, June 24 - one of six new detections reported across Texas that day as the U.S. total rose to 25.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the Crockett cases along with one cattle case in Medina County - the county's first - and one sheep case in Edwards County. These marked the highest number of new cases confirmed in a single day since the first detection June 3.
Edwards County now leads the state with six cases. Crockett County's total stands at five. Texas has recorded 24 cases overall - 22 active and two inactive - and remains the only state with active cases. The national total is 25, including one inactive case in New Mexico.
Neurologic Form of Equine Herpes Virus Confirmed in Parker County Equine [TX]
Texas Animal Health Commission News Release
June 26, 2026
AUSTIN, TX - The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) received confirmation of equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM), the neurologic disease linked to equine herpes virus (EHV-1), in a donkey on June 24, 2026.
The donkey is classified as a rescue animal. At this time, epidemiological investigations indicate exposure does not include large equine events including rodeos. TAHC staff are working closely with the owner and veterinarians to respond to the case, assess the situation further, take measures to protect equine, and prevent further spread of the virus. Exposed animal owners have been notified and are under hold order until further assessment.
Clinical signs of EHM in horses may include: fever of 102.5°F or greater (fever most often comes before neurologic signs), nasal discharge, lack of coordination, hindquarter weakness, leaning or resting against a fence or wall to maintain balance, lethargy, urine dribbling, head tilt, diminished tail tone, and penile paralysis.
Full text: https://www.tahc.texas.gov/news/2026/2026-06-26_EHM-Parker.pdf
Nevada Department of Agriculture reports equine infectious anemia in Nye County
By: Narée Asherian
KTNV.com
June 27, 2026
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) - Horse owners are on high alert in Nevada this summer.
A case of equine infectious anemia (EIA) was confirmed by the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) in Nye County, an NDA spokesperson shared with us on Friday.
According to the NDA, the facility and other horses that were exposed are currently under quarantine, but the location of the area "cannot be released, per Nevada Revised Statute )NRS) 571.160."
Maryland Stallion Tests Positive for Strangles
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
June 26, 2026
On June 25, a 6-year-old pony-cross stallion at a private facility in Calvert County, Maryland, tested positive for strangles. The stallion developed clinical signs on June 19, including mild upper respiratory signs, mild fever, and a submandibular abscess. He is now quarantined. Twenty horses have been exposed.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1145622/maryland-stallion-tests-positive-for-strangles/
3. Wisconsin dairy cattle no longer need HPAI tests before fairs
By Faryn Cramer
WQOW.com
June 25, 2026
MADISON (WKOW) -- The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announced lactating dairy cattle from Wisconsin are no longer required to test for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) prior to interstate movement.
Wisconsin currently meets the criteria for Unaffected State Status for HPAI through ongoing surveillance and testing activities conducted under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Milk Testing Strategy. The state achieved Unaffected Gold Status in September 2025 and again in March 2026.
As a result, lactating dairy cattle moving interstate from Wisconsin are not currently subject to the federal pre-movement testing requirements established under USDA's April 2024 Federal Order. The updated guidance came from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in May.
4. Cattle Chat: Monitoring Water Sources to Protect Herd Health
Neurological issues in cattle may occur from lack of water or poor water quality
MorningAgClips.com
June 24, 2026
MANHATTAN, Kan. - When cattle have been without water, a producer's first instinct may be to give them unlimited access as quickly as possible.
But Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute experts say that response can sometimes create a life-threatening situation.
During a recent Cattle Chat podcast produced by K-State's Beef Cattle Institute, veterinarians discussed water management challenges and the risks associated with poor water quality, limited water access and improper rehydration of severely dehydrated cattle.
"In western Kansas and other drought-prone areas, sometimes a producer will discover that a well has gone dry and cattle have been without water for a period of time," said K-State veterinarian Brad White. "When you find that situation, it is important to not simply give cattle all the water they can drink."
According to K-State veterinarians Scott Fritz and Bob Larson, cattle that have been severely dehydrated can develop a condition known as salt toxicity if they consume large quantities of water too rapidly.
"We call it salt toxicity," Larson said. "The cattle don't have to be eating a high-salt diet. If a cow becomes really dehydrated and then suddenly gets all the water she wants, that rapid change can cause a brain lesion and often leads to death."
Full text: https://www.morningagclips.com/cattle-chat-monitoring-water-sources-to-protect-herd-health/
5. Chronic Wasting Disease Now Detected in 36 States; New Study Confirms Infected Deer Can Appear Healthy While Spreading Disease [edited]
By Cole Mercer
MedicalDailly.com
June 22, 2026
A study published June 16, 2026, in Science Advances by researchers at the University of Calgary and international collaborators has confirmed what wildlife scientists have long feared: chronic wasting disease prions can spread from deer showing absolutely no clinical symptoms of infection, meaning a deer that appears healthy, is behaving normally, and shows no signs of disease may still be actively shedding infectious prions in its saliva, feces, urine, and blood.
The finding has direct and immediate implications for hunters, wildlife managers, and the public health community. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) - nicknamed "zombie deer disease" for the late-stage symptoms of extreme weight loss, stumbling, and listlessness that infected animals develop - has now been confirmed in 36 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces, according to the CDC. It is the only transmissible spongiform encephalopathy known to affect free-ranging wildlife, and it is invariably fatal in infected animals. There are no vaccines and no treatments.
A concurrent study published in Scientific Reports confirmed the presence of CWD prions in the blood of healthy-appearing, naturally infected free-ranging white-tailed deer, providing direct evidence of blood-based prion shedding in animals that would pass visual inspection and show no behavioral signs of disease. Together, the two studies fundamentally challenge any assumption that visual examination can distinguish infectious from non-infectious animals.