Several state officials gathered in Edinburg to announce a plan to prevent the screwworm outbreak in Mexico from reaching the country.

During a news conference, Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced an $8.5 million initiative to establish a New World screwworm sterile fly facility at the Moore Air Base near Edinburg, according to a news release from the office of De La Cruz.

"We have defeated the screwworm, and we will do it again," Rollins said during the news conference.

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According to a news release from the office of Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, the initiative is part of Rollins' strategy to "strengthen USDA's current capabilities to detect, control and eradicate the pest."

The screwworm is a type of fly that burrows into open wounds, big or small, on all warm-blooded animals and feeds on living tissue. It has been detected in northern Mexico.

The pest is carried on larvae laid by flies on the wounds of cattle, causing a possible fatal infection that can spread.

USDA said they will use the Edinburg facility to produce sterile male screwworm flies to prevent potential outbreaks in the country. 

"We are stopping the pest from spreading in Mexico and ensuring that our Mexican counterparts are full partners in eradication," Rollins said.

The USDA will enhance the international sterile fly production, and invest $20 million to an existing sterile screwworm fly production facility in Southern Mexico

The facility in Mexico and the facility in Edinburg will provide up to 100 million additional sterile flies every week to stop the spread.

Rollins said the USDA has conducted in-person visits to Mexico to review and analyze the facility, and help with pest control.

“Curbing the spread of the destructive New World screwworm is critical to protecting the Texas agriculture and livestock industry, and this new sterile fly distribution facility in Edinburg is a significant step in the right direction,” Sen. John Cornyn said in a statement. “I will continue to work alongside Secretary Rollins and my colleagues in Congress to halt the spread of New World screwworm and increase our sterile fly production capacity through my STOP Screwworms Act.” 

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