Pfluger ICYMI: New World Screwworm Free Educational Course

Governor Greg Abbott has launched a free, online educational course for Texans to learn more about NWS.

Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. – Given the confirmed cases of New World Screwworm in Texas, I have also provided an updated list of resources and the new educational course launched by Governor Abbott this week.

I am continuing to address the confirmed cases of the New World Screwworm (NWS) across Texas. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the State of Texas have taken immediate action to eradicate this threat to livestock and the American food supply. 

As part of these eradication efforts, my office is coordinating with the USDA and local ranchers to ensure that sterile flies are being deployed across affected areas; a proven method for eliminating NWS populations at the source. My office and I will remain in close contact with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and the USDA as we work together to eradicate this parasite.

Governor Greg Abbott has launched a free, online educational course for Texans to learn more about NWS. If interested, you can access and take the course here.

If you see signs of maggot infestation in live or recently dead wild animals, please call 866-4USDA-WS (866-487-3297) to report it to your local USDA Wildlife Services office. If you are a rancher, please continue to monitor your livestock and report any unusual findings to USDA. For official updates, please visit screwworm.gov.

Participate in the Second Lady's Summer Reading Challenge
Second Lady of the United States Usha Vance recently announced the start of her second annual Summer Reading Challenge. I strongly encourage all K-8 students in Texas’s 11th Congressional District to participate. To enter, students must read 12 books, complete the reading log, and submit it to receive a prize.

The challenge is open to all students in grades K-8, and participants will be entered into a raffle for a special trip to visit the Nation’s Capital and additional prizes! Learn more about the Second Lady’s Reading Challenge at the link here.