Arizona confirms fifth screwworm case, expands quarantine

Arizona has confirmed its fifth case of New World screwworm, this one in a dog near Thatcher, and has expanded its quarantine area into Graham County, the Arizona Department of Agriculture said.

The dog is a household pet with no known travel history, officials said. It was found about 75 miles from the state’s first case and about 32 miles from the nearest active case.

Under federal guidelines, officials set a mandatory 12.4-mile (20-kilometer) infested zone around each affected property. No animals may leave a zone until restrictions are lifted unless the state veterinarian approves it, and owners can’t do their own inspections there while the zone is active.

Arizona’s four earlier cases involved a sheep and a horse in Greenlee County and a dog and a horse in Cochise County.

The department will hold a public meeting for Graham and Greenlee county residents from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Lee Little Theater at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher.

Agriculture Director Paul Brierley and State Veterinarian Ryan Wolker will answer questions.

The screwworm is a fly larva that burrows into the living flesh of animals and, rarely, people.

It was largely eradicated in the U.S. in the 1960s but reappeared in Mexico in 2024. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is releasing sterile flies in the region and building a dispersal facility in Douglas.

Officials urge anyone who sees a wound that appears infested with maggots to report it to diseasereporting@azda.gov. Wildlife sightings should be reported to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

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