There was a report of a flesh-eating parasite infestation of animals in the Southwest.
Posted by All In with Chris Hayes, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support4 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
All In with Chris HayesSep 19, 2026
As of 2026-09-19, multiple sources (CDC/FDA coverage, Vet Candy, Drovers, CNN) document New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, infesting animals in Texas and New Mexico in the Southwest, with the parasite's return reported in June and cases continuing through September; the claim's 'report' of such an infestation was therefore true on that date.
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What was said
… It is the worst U.S. measles outbreak in decades. Hey, but don't worry. The Trump administration says actually, nah, it's not really. That's next. Mm-hmm Folks are dying of measles related causes in Pennsylvania. It is now the deadliest outbreak in decades. There was just another report of a flesh eating parasite infestation of animals in the Southwest. And it seems everywhere you turn, our food supply is making us sick. But the Trump administration is busy lashing out at the media for informing the public about public health. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has stopped pretending he is not an anti-vax crank. …
All In with Chris Hayes · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. CDC-related coverage reports the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, was found in animals in southern Texas and in one New Mexico county, with 12 domestic animal cases as of June 11.[2]
Supports. Vet Candy reports New Mexico confirmed cases in a horse and a calf in Grant County, announced October 15, 2026, as the state's third and fourth confirmed cases this year.[3]
Supports. ScienceDaily (Sept. 15, 2026) reports the flesh-eating New World screwworm has returned to the US and reached Texas and New Mexico, threatening livestock, wildlife, and pets.[4]
Supports. Drovers reports a wildlife case in an elk in Texas on Oct. 21 and 59 recorded cases since June, indicating ongoing detections in the Southwest in the period before the claim date.[5]
Context. Arizona's first case (a dog in Cochise County) was confirmed Oct. 28, after the claim date, so it does not bear on the September 19 verdict.[6][7][8]
Context. Reuters-attributed coverage describes screwworm re-entering the US Southwest in June 2026 for the first time since the 1970s, consistent with the reported infestations.[1]
Sources
8 sources: 1 fact-checker, 7 not rated
- 1Heather Schlitzreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2CDC, FDA tackle new world screwworm, including drug authorizationmedicalxpress.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 3Flesh-Eating Screwworm Returns to New Mexico | Vet Candy Veterinary Newsmyvetcandy.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4The U.S. Eradicated this flesh-eating parasite. Now it's backsciencedaily.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Screwworm Spreads to Wildlife: USDA Urges Producer Vigilance as Cases Increasedrovers.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Southern Arizona sees first case of New World screwwormrmb.reuters.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 7Screwworm Reaches Arizona as Cases Spread Across ...yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 8Arizona becomes third state with New World screwworm infectionusatoday.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post