The flesh-eating parasite known as the New World screwworm has been found in a human in the U.S. for the first time. The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the case on Sunday after an investigation was concluded on Aug. 4 by the Maryland Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The patient had recently returned from El Salvador. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told 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.” He added, via Reuters: “The risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low.” No cases have been confirmed in animals in the U.S. this year, although earlier this month the Department of Agriculture announced plans for the “largest initiative yet in USDA’s plan to combat New World Screwworm.” While the parasite is mainly found in Central America and the Caribbean, a spike in cases in both cattle and ranchers in Mexico has heightened concern in the U.S. “Myiasis is a parasitic infestation of fly larvae (maggots) in human tissue,” the CDC says. “New World screwworm (NWS) is a species of parasitic flies that can cause myiasis and feed on live tissue. It primarily affects livestock, but it can also infest people.” The Daily Beast has contacted HHS for further information.
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