Flesh-Eating Monsters Invade US — Texas Town Quarantined

A terrifying flesh-eating parasite that burrows into the skin of animals and humans has reportedly been detected in the United States for the first time in decades, triggering fears of a possible outbreak near the southern border.

Officials were said to be enforcing a 12-mile quarantine zone around La Pryor, Texas, a small rural community of roughly 1,200 people located about 30 miles from the Mexican border.

The discovery involves the New World screwworm, a dangerous parasite that was eradicated from the United States in 1966 but has recently been spreading north through parts of Central America and Mexico.

The parasite was reportedly detected in a three-week-old calf near La Pryor, according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

New World screwworms get their name from the gruesome way their larvae twist and burrow headfirst into living flesh, much like a screw drilling into wood.

An infestation begins when an adult female fly lays hundreds of eggs inside an open wound or around vulnerable areas such as the eyes, nose or ears of an animal or person.

Once the eggs hatch, the larvae begin feeding on living tissue. As they grow, they dig deeper into the body, creating severe wounds that can become infected and potentially fatal if left untreated.

There is no simple medication that immediately eliminates an infestation. Treatment usually requires medical professionals to physically remove the larvae and thoroughly clean the affected wound.

The Texas case is not the only recent incident raising alarm.

Another case was reportedly detected in February in a horse that entered the United States from Argentina. A human case was also recorded last year after a woman returned to the U.S. from El Salvador.

Federal officials are now attempting to prevent the parasite from spreading by releasing sterilized male screwworm flies near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Female screwworm flies generally mate only once. When they mate with sterilized males, their eggs do not hatch, slowly reducing the parasite population.

However, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has sharply criticized the federal response, describing it as “slow, bureaucratic and incomplete.”

Miller warned that fully establishing the government’s control program could take years and argued that more aggressive action is needed immediately.

His concerns have intensified as multiple screwworm cases have been detected in Mexico, including some reportedly found as close as 25 miles from the U.S. border.

Miller has appealed directly to President Donald Trump, urging him to deploy additional federal resources before the parasite becomes a major threat to American livestock, agriculture and public health.

He called on the administration to “throw every available federal resource at this threat before it becomes a full-blown agricultural disaster.”

The return of the New World screwworm would be especially devastating for ranchers, since livestock can quickly become infected through cuts, bites, surgical wounds or even a newborn animal’s umbilical cord.

Officials are now racing to contain the threat before the flesh-eating parasite can establish a permanent foothold inside the United States.