Llano County along with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Texas Animal Health Commission, the Screwworm Coalition of Texas, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issued a Declaration of Local State of Disaster regarding the threat of New World screwworm (NWS).
NWS infests warm-blooded animals, including livestock, pets, wildlife and in rare cases humans.
Even though the risk in humans is very low, the potential threat to animal populations and the food supply requires action. NWS has progressed north since 2022.
Llano County recognized the situation on May 27, 2025, when the Llano County Commissioners Court Passed a Resolution supporting immediate federal action to combat the threat of the NWS fly to live stock, wildlife and the rural economy.
This resolution can be found on the Llano County website at www. llanocounty.gov.
On Jan. 29, 2026, the governor of Texas issued a statewide disaster declaration to prevent the spread of NWS as a destructive parasitic pest that can injure, cause death and substantial losses to livestock, wildlife, companion animals, agricultural operations and related commerce.
On June 15, 2026, the Texas Animal Health Commission included the southwestern corner of Llano County as an adjacent surveillance zone, connected to Gillespie County, which was declared an “Infested Zone”.
This activation of an emergency activates the appropriate recovery, mitigation, preparedness and response aspects of all applicable local and interjurisdictional emergency management plans and gives authorization to furnish aid and assistance.
The declaration will remain in effect for the next seven days in which the Llano County Commissioners Court will vote on a motion to renew the declaration on June 22, 2026, in the regularly scheduled commissioners court meeting in accordance with Section 418.108(b) of the Texas Government Code.
Visit screwwormtx. org for the latest update.
For additional questions or concerns, contact the Llano County AgriLife Extension Of- fice Office at 325-247- 5159.
