The state of Sonora, south of Arizona, is registering a growing number of New World screwworm cases after the United States reopened the border to cattle in Douglas this week.
Sonora has registered nine cases of New World screwworm since the first appearance of the flesh-eating parasite in the state last week.
The cases come as the U.S. reopens the border to cattle at the Agua Prieta-Douglas border crossing into Arizona.
Live cattle imports restarted there on Monday after more than a year-long border-wide ban to protect the United States from the parasite.
The new cases in Sonora are toward the south of the state, near the border with neighboring Chihuahua — more than 200 miles from the Douglas crossing.
Authorities on both sides of the border this week stressed heightened protocols for cattle imported from Mexico — including ramped up treatments and inspections before export.
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The New World screwworm parasite has been in Mexico for more than a year and a half. Now that it’s crossed the border, the United States could turn south for direction. -
The Arizona-Sonora border is set to reopen to cattle starting in Douglas on Monday. USDA says protocols in place will protect U.S. livestock from the flesh-eating parasite. -
The case comes just days before the U.S.-Mexico border is scheduled to reopen to cattle, starting with the Arizona-Sonora border. -
The U.S. Agriculture Department plans to reopen part of the U.S.-Mexico border to cattle later this month. On Aug. 24, the Douglas, Arizona, port will become the first to allow cattle from Mexico to travel into the United States.
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No cases of the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite have been reported in Arizona, but USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in the state has recommendations for ranchers to protect against it. -
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension is in touch with Arizona ranchers to protect against the deadly parasite. -
The reopening will start at the Douglas-Agua Prieta, Mexico, border crossing in late August after a more than yearlong closure to protect against the parasite. -
The Southwest border has been closed to cattle since May to prevent the northern spread of New World screwworm. -
Cattle from Mexico have been barred from the United States for most the past year to prevent the parasite from entering. Ranchers in Sonora say this method was a mistake. -
Mexico has largely been able to contain the deadly parasite in the southern part of the country. -
The United States wants to keep out a flesh-eating parasite. But its strategy is costly for Mexico’s ranchers. -
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the border closure after Mexico reported a case of a flesh-eating parasite northeast of Mexico City.
