An individual in Maryland has actually been verified to have an infection with the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite– the very first human case of the infection in the United States because the parasite was eliminated in the nation over 60 years earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services( HHS ).

The Maryland client had actually gone back to the U.S. after taking a trip to El Salvador, HHS representative Andrew G. Nixon informed Reuters in an e-mail, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) verified the infection with the New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivoraxthrough pictures of the larvae on Aug. 4, according to Axios

“This is the first human case of travel-associated New World screwworm myiasis (parasitic infestation of fly larvae) from an outbreak-affected country identified in the United States,” Nixon stated in an emailed declaration to Axios. “the risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low,” he included.C. hominivorax is a types of parasitic fly that lays eggs inside the open injuries, eyes, noses or mouths of warm-blooded animals. Female screwworm flies can lay up to 300 eggs at a time. When the eggs hatch, screwworm larvae utilize their sharp mouths to burrow into the host’s flesh, which triggers an uncomfortable invasion called myiasis.

New World screwworms mostly impact livestock and other animals, however they can likewise trigger invasions in human beings. A problem can be deadly if left without treatment, however a medical professional can generally deal with myiasis by getting rid of the larvae. Individuals who deal with animals, have actually damaged body immune systems, open injuries, or who sleep outdoors are most at threat for establishing an infection, according to the CDCDue to the fact that screwworm is a pest and not an infection, it’s not infectious, Max Scotta teacher of entomology and plant pathology at North Carolina State University, informed NPR

The New World screwworm is endemic to South America and the Caribbean, and it isn’t normally discovered in the U.S., according to the CDC. No cases of screwworm invasion have actually been discovered in U.S. animals up until now. In the 1960s, the U.S. removed New World screwworms within the nation by launching male sterilized screwworm flies into plagued locations. The sterilized flies mated with wild female flies, however the eggs didn’t hatch, which triggered screwworm populations to decrease.

Because 2023, screwworm populations have actually been increasing in Central America and gradually spreading out northward. In November 2024, a screwworm invasion in Mexico triggered the U.S. to briefly stop briefly animals imports at the southern border. Imports resumed in January, just to stop once again in May. Ports are now resuming in phases, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultureand a brand-new sterilized fly dispersal center is being built in southern Texas.