Trump “Activates Level 3” Claim Is Misleading as Screwworm Response Expands in Texas

A viral graphic showing President Donald Trump alongside Vice President JD Vance claims that “Trump Activates ‘Level 3’ — Something Serious Just Happened.” The underlying event is serious, but the wording incorrectly suggests that Trump personally activated a national “Level 3” emergency.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did activate a Level 3 emergency response in June 2026—but the action concerned the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasitic fly threatening livestock and, in rare circumstances, people. The CDC, not Trump personally, made the Level 3 activation.

And importantly, Level 3 is the lowest of the CDC's three emergency-response levels, not the highest or most severe designation.

What Actually Happened

On June 11, 2026, the CDC officially activated its Emergency Operations Center for the New World screwworm response.

The agency said it was supporting the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Texas health authorities after the parasite was detected in animals in southern Texas and New Mexico.

The first confirmed U.S. animal case in the current outbreak was reported on June 3, when USDA officials identified New World screwworm in a calf in Zavala County, Texas.

The parasite had not been established in the United States for decades. Texas officials say it was last eradicated from the country in 1966, using the sterile-insect technique.

What Is New World Screwworm?

New World screwworm, scientifically known as Cochliomyia hominivorax, is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals.

Infestations can create severe wounds and can become fatal if untreated. The threat primarily concerns livestock, pets and wildlife, although human infestation is possible.

That makes the outbreak particularly important for Texas, where the cattle industry represents a major part of the state's agricultural economy.

The CDC's Level 3 Does Not Mean “Maximum Emergency”

This is the biggest problem with the viral graphic.

The phrase “Level 3” sounds ominous, but within the CDC's emergency-response system it represents the lowest activation level.

The CDC said the designation means an emergency team has been established and personnel can be reassigned to support the response. It does not mean that the United States is experiencing a nationwide public-health catastrophe.

The CDC has also repeatedly assessed the current risk to the U.S. public as very low and reported no locally acquired human infestations in the United States.

The Situation Has Expanded Since June

Although the initial U.S. detections were limited, the outbreak has required an increasingly extensive animal-health response.

The Texas Animal Health Commission currently reports 16 Texas counties with cases and 38 affected premises. Movement restrictions remain in designated infested zones, requiring authorization for warm-blooded animals to leave those areas.

USDA continues to operate a national response involving animal surveillance, fly trapping and sterile-fly releases.

The goal is to prevent fertile screwworm populations from becoming established and spreading farther north.

Texas Declared a State Disaster

The federal CDC activation was not the only emergency measure.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster over the threat posed by New World screwworm and authorized state resources to be redirected toward containment and eradication efforts.

Texas and federal authorities have been working together on surveillance, quarantines and sterile-fly dispersal.

The state's response is particularly significant because officials are attempting to prevent the parasite from establishing itself permanently in the U.S. livestock population.

The Federal Government Is Using Sterile Flies

One of the principal tools being used against screwworm is the sterile-insect technique.

The strategy involves releasing large numbers of sterile male flies. When they mate with wild females, the resulting eggs do not produce viable offspring, reducing the population over time.

Texas officials say aerial and ground dispersal of sterile flies is already underway in affected areas.

USDA is also developing additional infrastructure to increase sterile-fly production and strengthen the long-term response.

The Threat to Humans Is Real — But the Viral Graphic Overstates It

There is a legitimate human-health component to the outbreak.

The CDC says human infestations can occur and, in July, issued guidance requiring health departments to report suspected human cases.

Human cases have also been documented in Mexico during the broader regional outbreak. A CDC-published study reported 204 confirmed human cases in Mexico between April 2025 and March 2026, including six deaths among patients with NWS myiasis, although only one death was attributed directly to the infestation at the time of the study.

But that should not be confused with an outbreak of human screwworm infections in the United States.

As of the CDC's latest public situation summary, there were no reports of locally acquired human infestations in the U.S.

The Latest Response Shows Both Progress and Continued Risk

There have been signs of progress.

In late August, Texas began releasing some eligible infested zones after authorities determined that specified conditions had been met. The Texas Animal Health Commission said surveillance, sterile-fly releases and other controls would continue even after restrictions were lifted.

At the same time, USDA's current September 3 update shows that the federal response remains active, with continuing detection monitoring, movement controls and efforts to prevent the parasite's spread.

So the situation is neither a nonexistent threat nor the nationwide emergency implied by the graphic.

It is a serious agricultural and animal-health problem that authorities are actively managing.

Did Trump Personally “Activate Level 3”?

No.

The CDC officially activated the Level 3 emergency response on June 11. The agency's announcement does not say that Trump personally ordered the CDC activation.

Trump's administration has been involved in the broader federal response, including USDA's efforts to protect the U.S. livestock industry, but saying “Trump activates Level 3” incorrectly attributes the specific CDC emergency designation to the president.

The photograph of Trump and Vance also does not demonstrate that the two men were announcing or personally initiating the CDC action.

What the Viral Graphic Gets Right — and What It Leaves Out

What is accurate:

• The CDC did activate a Level 3 emergency response.
• The response concerns the New World screwworm.
• The parasite has reached the United States and has been detected in Texas.
• Federal and state agencies are taking extensive containment measures.
• The parasite can cause severe and potentially fatal infections in animals.

What is misleading:

• Trump did not personally “activate” the CDC's Level 3 designation.
• Level 3 is the lowest, not the highest, CDC emergency-response level.
• There is no evidence that the designation means a national human-health catastrophe is occurring.
• The CDC has reported no locally acquired human screwworm cases in the United States.
• The image's “something serious just happened” wording obscures the fact that the Level 3 activation occurred in June, rather than being a new event in September.

Bottom Line

The viral graphic is built around a real and significant outbreak, but its presentation is sensationalized.

The CDC did activate a Level 3 emergency response to New World screwworm on June 11, 2026, after the parasite was detected in U.S. animals. Texas and federal authorities continue to combat the threat through surveillance, movement restrictions and sterile-fly releases.

However, “Trump Activates Level 3” is not an accurate description of the CDC action, and “Level 3” is the lowest emergency-response tier. The latest official information also indicates that the risk to the general U.S. public remains low, with no locally acquired human cases reported.