1. Screwworm detection in Sonora puts planned Arizona port reopening to cattle on watch
AVMA News
August 21, 2026
After more than a year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a phased reopening of southern U.S. ports of entry to livestock trade starting August 24. The timeline is contingent on continued progress by Mexico and ongoing risk assessments of New World screwworm (NWS).
Possibly jeopardizing that progress is the first confirmed case of screwworm reported recently in the Mexican state of Sonora, just south of Arizona.
That said, the USDA had shared no indication as of August 21 that it plans to halt reopening the Douglas, Arizona, port of entry. It is scheduled to be the first to resume live cattle, bison, and horse imports from Mexico, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said in a July 24 announcement.
Every animal entering the U.S. through this port is to receive multiple veterinary inspections, including by USDA veterinarians, to ensure it is free of any signs of NWS. Any animal that fails to meet APHIS import criteria will be denied entry, and detection of NWS would immediately halt imports through the facility.
After evaluating the success of the initial reopening and potential impacts or risk assessment, APHIS said it will then consider reopening the Santa Teresa and Columbus, New Mexico, ports to livestock.
2. Colombia deemed free of avian influenza
The virus has not been detected in the country since a single case in a backyard flock was confirmed in June.
By Roy Graber
WATTAgNet.com
August 21, 2026
Colombia has been officially declared free of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza by the World Organisation for Animal Health after successfully containing a single outbreak in a backyard flock in Puerto Carreņo through culling, disinfection, and surveillance measures.
The single H5N1 outbreak occurred in June at a family subsistence farm in Puerto Carreņo, Vichada Department, affecting only a backyard flock.
Colombian authorities successfully contained the outbreak through culling, cleaning, disinfection, and movement restrictions, officially closing it on August 3, 2026.
The outbreak was traced to epidemiological contact with migratory wild birds, with symptoms including weakness, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and high mortality.
Colombia has maintained passive surveillance for the virus and continues monitoring to prevent future outbreaks.
Prior to this single case, Colombia had been avian influenza-free since April, with no active reports in commercial poultry operations.
3. One Health Moves Beyond Policy Talk Into Real-World Risk Response
COE-EDP, VisionRICOE-EDP, VisionRI
DevDiscourse
August 20, 2026
Global health systems have spent years embracing the language of "One Health," the idea that human, animal and environmental health are inseparable. The harder challenge has been turning that principle into routine government practice, especially when ministries collect different data, operate under separate mandates and respond to the same threat from different institutional perspectives. A new global implementation report suggests that joint risk assessment may be one of the most practical ways to close that gap.
The report examines the rollout of the Joint Risk Assessment Operational Tool, or JRA OT, developed by FAO, WHO and WOAH as part of the Tripartite Zoonoses Guide. Rather than replacing sector-specific risk assessments, the tool creates a common process through which human-health, animal-health and environmental authorities can identify risk pathways, assess likelihood and impact, document uncertainty and agree on risk-management and communication options.
Equine WNV Cases Confirmed in North Dakota and Wyoming
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
August 21, 2026
Two new equine West Nile virus (WNV) cases have been reported to the Equine Disease Communication Center:
Sioux County, North Dakota: One horse tested positive.
Fremont County, Wyoming: One horse tested positive and was euthanized.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1146694/equine-wnv-cases-confirmed-in-north-dakota-and-wyoming/
One Confirmed, 8 Suspected Strangles Cases in Washington
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
August 21, 2026
According to the assistant state veterinarian, one horse in King County, Washington, has tested positive for strangles, and eight horses are suspected to be positive. The private facility is under a self-imposed quarantine.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1146698/1-confirmed-8-suspected-strangles-cases-in-washington/
5. Inside the Evolving Playbook of Animal Rights Activists
Understanding how activist groups are mapping corporate ecosystems and leveraging litigation gives producers the insights needed to defend their businesses.
By Abby Kornegay-Animal Agriculture Alliance
Pork Business
August 21, 2026
If you want to know where animal rights activism is headed next, one of the best places to look and listen isn't on social media or in the newspaper, it's at conferences where activists are gathering to share ideas, debate strategies, and plan future campaigns.
This awareness of upcoming tactics and trends has remained incredibly important as producers, processors and food companies ask a common question: What's the next issue we should be preparing for?
Earlier this year, two major conferences - the Animal Legal Defense Fund's (ALDF) Animal Law Symposium and the Animal & Vegan Advocacy (AVA) Summit - offered a glimpse into how animal rights organizations are evolving their approach to challenging modern animal agriculture.
While each event had a different focus, they reinforced one clear message: today's activist movement extends well beyond protests and demonstrations. These groups are putting more emphasis on coordinated legal actions, corporate pressure campaigns, strategic communications, and novel investigation tactics to influence businesses, policymakers, and public opinion.
6. Bexar County reports first dog rabies case in more than a decade, health officials say [TX]
The dog began showing 'concerning behavioral and neurological symptoms'
KSAT.com
August 20, 2026
BEXAR COUNTY - A dog tested positive for rabies in Bexar County for the first time in more than a decade, according to Animal Care Services and Metro Health.
In a news release Wednesday, city health officials said a Husky mix tested positive for rabies Aug. 18.
The dog's owner said it killed a baby skunk in late July near the family's home on the far West Side, inside Loop 1604. The incident was not reported, ACS said.
Several weeks later, the dog began showing "concerning behavioral and neurological symptoms," according to the release. Rabies treatment was offered to people and pets who may have been exposed.
Health officials said San Antonio and Bexar County are experiencing an outbreak of rabies among wild animals. The county reported 22 rabies cases in wildlife in June and July 2026, compared with two to three cases reported during the same period in 2024 and 2025.