Daily News Update,
Aug. 31, 2007
Fever tick quarantine expanded in Zapata County
At least 50 premises in Zapata County are in a temporary preventive
quarantine area designated August 29 to prevent the spread of the cattle
fever tick. The quarantine, issued by the Texas Animal Health Commission
(TAHC), requires that livestock being hauled within or from the
designated
area first be manually inspected for cattle fever ticks, dipped, and
permitted by personnel from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA)
Fever Tick Force or the TAHC.
"Fever ticks are capable of carrying and transmitting a protozoa--or
tiny
blood parasite--that destroys red blood cells, causing the deadly
livestock
disease, 'cattle tick fever,'" noted Dr. Bob Hillman, head of the TAHC,
the
state's livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. "This preventive
quarantine in Zapata County is essential for detecting, containing and
rapidly eliminating fever ticks from the area. The provisions of the
quarantine will be released as soon as possible."
For questions about premises within the temporary preventive quarantine,
or
to arrange for livestock inspection and/or dipping, ranchers should
contact
Austin Knox of the USDA Tick Force at 956-765-4377.
In addition to the temporarily quarantined area, a permanent fever tick
quarantine zone runs along the Rio Grande through eight South Texas
counties, including Zapata County. This quarantine line or "buffer zone"
separates the rest of the U.S. from Mexico, where the fever tick has not
been eradicated. Livestock moved from the narrow permanent "buffer zone"
always must be inspected, dipped and permitted by the Tick Force prior
to
movement. Tick inspections also are conducted at South Texas livestock
markets to ensure that the pests have not breached the quarantine zone.
"Favorable weather conditions for ticks, wildlife movement, and
tick-infested stray livestock from Mexico have resulted in a greater
fever
tick population and increased movement this year," said Ed Bowers, head
of
the USDA's Fever Tick Force. He noted that, in July, 39 premises in
Zapata
County were quarantined, due to fever tick infestation. Of these, 31
were
in the permanent quarantine zone, where it is not unusual to find
infestations. However, eight had spread beyond the "buffer zone,"
creating
a dangerous situation, he said.
If not contained, fever ticks could become re-established in other areas
of
Texas and throughout much of the south, southeast and parts of
California. In addition to cattle, horses, white-tailed deer, nilgai and
elk can serve as a host to the fever tick, perpetuating the pests'
population.
"Keeping the fever tick out of Texas and the U.S. is critical to disease
control and the ability to move animals without restrictions," said Dr.
Hillman. Temporary preventive quarantines also have been established
this
summer in a contiguous area in Webb, Maverick and Dimmit Counties, and
in a
small portion of Starr County.
The perimeter of the temporary preventive quarantine area in Zapata
County
begins U.S. Highway 16 at the intersection with US Highway 83. It
continues
11 miles east on Highway 16 to the east fence line of the La Bandara
Ranch.
The boundary follows this fence line south for a half mile, then west
for
seven-tenths of a mile to the Sarita property fence line, then south 5.8
miles to the corner fence with the Lopez property. The perimeter
continues
west 4.3 miles to the Dodier property fence line, then south for about
3.8
miles to the Robert Vela fence line, and about 2 miles east to the
Padilla
fence line. At this point, the boundary continues south for 6.3 miles to
the junction with FM 2687. The perimeter continues west on FM 2687 for
4.3
miles to Highway 83, then north 13 miles to the intersection of Hwy 83
and
US Highway 16. (A map of the area appears on the TAHC web site at
<http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/>http://www.tahc.state.tx.us .)
When tick-infested livestock are detected, the ranch and its animals are
quarantined. Owners can choose to have their cattle inspected and dipped
every seven to 14 days for nine months, or the livestock can be dipped
repeatedly, until declared tick-free and moved to a new site outside the
quarantine area, leaving the infested pasture "vacated" for nine months,
causing the ticks to starve. Wildlife hosts - deer and other hoofstock -
are capable of maintaining fever ticks, so these animals may need to be
treated.
The Fever Tick Force also maintains vigilance along the permanent
quarantine zone to apprehend, inspect and dip stray livestock from
Mexico,
where the fever tick and the disease, "cattle tick fever," still
exists. Owners may reclaim their animals by paying a nominal feed
bill. Among the stringent health requirements for livestock shipments
from
Mexico are fever tick inspection and dipping. If an animal in a shipment
is found to have fever ticks, the entire shipment is rejected until it
can be
re-dipped and inspected.
|
|
