Mexico is taking additional measures to control the spread of the New World screwworm, after the flesh-eating parasite was discovered in a northern Mexican state.
Mexico says the discovery of a deadly fly larva in a cow in the state of Nuevo León, which shares a small stretch of border with Texas, was dealt with soon enough to prevent spread.
The case, around 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, marks the farthest north the parasite has been reported. The first case in Mexico was found in a cow near the Guatemala border last November.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she still expects the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reopen the border to livestock by November.
“There hasn’t been any notification … that changes the situation,” she said.
The border has largely been closed to cattle from Mexico for the past few months, which could spell out significant economic losses for Mexican ranchers.
