Alexia Villaseñor and Sergio Ocampo
Reporter and Correspondent
La Jornada Newspaper
Monday, January 26, 2026, p. 8
Despite the government’s efforts to contain the plague of the cattle screwworm (GBG), so far this month cases have increased 74.79 percent, going from 492 on January 7 to 860 on Friday the 23rd, according to data from the National Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica).
The total number of reports accumulated since the disease was detected in November 2024 to date is 14,507. According to the agency, 14 entities have animals with screwworm myiasis. Oaxaca leads the list with 184, followed by Veracruz with 175, Chiapas with 144 and Guerrero with 111 cases.
It is also present in Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Puebla, state of Mexico, Campeche, Tabasco, San Luis Potosí, Michoacán, Colima and Tamaulipas – the only state bordering the United States that has active cases (14)–.
Regarding the infected species, cattle are the most affected with 501, followed by 196 canines, 66 swine, 41 horses, 32 sheep, 12 goats, 10 felines and two unidentified wildlife.
The infection has been present in 105 humans. Recently, the municipality of Copala, located in the Costa Chica region of Guerrero, reported a probable first case of GBG myiasis, which is in the process of validation for a final diagnosis.
In a statement, he noted that the citizen was attended to in a timely manner by the Municipal Health Directorate, in coordination with the federal government and the Rural Development Directorate, “the case was deactivated and is being followed up,” he noted.
In turn, the Ministry of Health of that entity announced that the corresponding samples were collected for analysis, through the State Public Health Laboratory, in order to have an accurate diagnosis.
The federal Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Julio Berdegué, held a meeting two weeks ago with authorities from Tamaulipas and Veracruz to establish a special action plan to contain and control the advance of GBG in these states.
The measures include strengthening control of livestock movement, 20 new field brigades to expand coverage, increased release of sterile flies, training and an increase in the number of traps.
