The first human case of the flesh-eating parasite called "New World Screwworm" has been detected in the United States according to the Maryland Department of Health and Human Services. State leaders in Texas have already been on the lookout for the parasite.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maryland Department of Health, the infected person recently traveled to El Salvador and has since recovered from the infection. Health officials said there is no indication that the parasite was passed to other people or animals.
“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,” HHS spokesperson Emily G. Hilliard said in a statement.
Federal health officials said the risk to the public from this case is low, but concerns are growing in Texas, where the agriculture community has already been on alert.
“It’s a real nasty infection. I can’t … describing it, you know, it will almost gross you out. It’s about as bad as anything you can imagine, being eaten alive by maggots is what it is,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
The screwworm spreads its eggs in open wounds, and the larvae, or maggots, burrow down and eat away the flesh of warm-blooded animals.
The killer parasite has been a major concern for the livestock and cattle industry. While it’s not in Texas, the agriculture department said the closest known case is 370 miles south in Mexico. That’s why the U.S. paused cattle imports over the summer to prevent the spread of the parasite.
“It threatens a $30 billion livestock industry in our state, so it’s very serious,” said Miller during a committee meeting at the state capitol earlier this month.
After the confirmed human case in the U.S., it’s a reminder that the parasite can also impact humans.
“We think this is strictly a livestock wildlife problem, but it does infect any mammal, and that includes humans,” said Miller.
He said recently that an 86-year-old woman died in Mexico, and several dozen others have been infected.
“Forty humans infected is nothing to ignore. We want to stop this pest in its tracks. We can do that,” said Miller.
Miller said the solution is fly bait and sterilized male screwworm flies to stop the spread by stopping them from reproducing. Those flies are currently produced in Panama.
