The Agriculture Department said the phased reopening will begin Aug. 24 at Douglas, with two New Mexico ports to follow if Mexico meets a joint outbreak-control plan.
The Agriculture Department said the U.S. will begin a phased reopening of southern cattle ports next month after closures tied to a New World Screwworm outbreak. The livestock port in Douglas, Arizona, is set to reopen on Aug. 24, while Santa Teresa and Columbus, New Mexico, will follow pending Mexico's compliance with a Joint Action Plan adopted to address the outbreak. All animals entering through the reopened ports will undergo full USDA inspections for signs of screwworm infection. USDA said it has tracked 42 confirmed U.S. cases since the outbreak was initially reported on June 3, with nine still active as of Friday. Thirty-one cases were reported in June and 11 in July; one was in New Mexico and the rest were in Texas. The CDC said this week that the risk to humans and animals in the U.S. is very low, with no human infestations linked to the outbreak, though the disease burden has been much higher in Central America and Mexico.