Mexico has imposed emergency measures after screwworms were detected in cattle 70 miles south of Texas.
The United States has banned cattle imports from Mexico because of the threat of screwworms which eat the flesh of live animals, including cattle and people.
Texas cattlemen are being urged to step up their vigilance since the recent discovery.
Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Carl Ray Polk Jr. said the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has been asked to intensify surveillance, coordinate response efforts and prepare cattle raisers and landowners for any potential incursion.
To date, the association has hosted 12 educational programs teaching ranchers and landowners how to monitor their own herds, implement best management practices and report suspected cases of New World Screwwroms.
The United States Department of Agriculture has five initiatives including sterile fly production, limiting cattle movement from infested areas of Mexico and strengthening southern border surveillance.
Screwworms were eradicated from the United States, but there has been resurgence in Mexico.