Canada bans Texas cattle over flesh-eating screwworm outbreak in US

Canada's food inspection agency has announced a temporary ban on livestock from the US state of Texas after flesh-eating screwworms were discovered in calves this week.

Cows and horses that were in Texas anytime within 21 days before crossing the border into Canada would not be accepted into the country, an agency news release said.

The announcement comes after the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the parasite had been found in a second calf in Texas - the leading US beef and cattle producer. Texas Gov Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster on Friday over the "imminent threat" the outbreak posed.

"This is likely to spread over the course of the summer," Abbott told reporters on Friday.

The New World Screwworm is a parasitic fly whose females lay eggs in open wounds and mucous membranes of living warm-blooded animals and people. When the eggs hatch, hundreds of larvae burrow through living flesh with sharp mouths, eventually killing their host if left untreated.

On Wednesday, US officials announced that Texas had detected its first case in 60 years in a three-week-old calf, with the larvae found in its umbilical area. The discovery was made in the town of La Pryor about 30 miles (48km) from the Mexico border.

Then on Friday, a second case was detected in a one-month-old calf in Zavala County about 5.6 miles (9km) from the first case. The discovery was made as officials tested a "number of suspected cases," the USDA said.

It was found in a 20km-wide "control zone" established after the first case was discovered, the USDA said. The department said it had also enacted "quarantines, movement controls, and surveillance" in that area.