Oaxaca
Southern Mexican state.
Oaxaca counted 68 human New World screwworm cases in 2026, the third-highest state tally, and one of Mexico's four deaths from the parasite this year, federal health figures showed on 18 September 2026.
Last refreshed: 4 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Oaxaca
Recorded one of four deaths
Pandemics and Biosecurity: Screwworm cases in Mexico rise fivefoldBackground
Oaxaca is a state in southern Mexico. In 2026 it has become one of the states hardest hit by New World screwworm in people. Federal health ministry figures relayed by El Universal on 18 September put Oaxaca at 68 human cases, behind Chiapas (165) and Veracruz (116) and ahead of Puebla (61). One of the four deaths recorded nationally this year was in Oaxaca; the others were in Querétaro, Veracruz and Yucatán.
The National picture explains the exposure. Nationally, human cases have risen roughly fivefold on 2025, to 575 by 18 September, and 692 people in 27 states have been infested since April 2025. screwworm flies lay eggs in open wounds, and the larvae eat living tissue. Older residents, people with chronic wounds and families living beside livestock in hot rural districts face the highest risk.
The parasite reached southern Mexico after the sterile-fly barrier in Panama failed in 2023, helped by illegal cattle movements north through Central America. Part of the fix now sits in Chiapas: a sterile-fly plant opened at Metapa in June 2026, ending the run of COPEG's plant near Panama City as the region's only producer.
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