The U.S. has confirmed a uncommon human case of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that sometimes infects livestock however might be lethal to folks too.
A Maryland resident suffered an infestation of the screwworm after touring to El Salvador, the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) instructed TIME in an electronic mail. Reuters first reported the information. Central America is presently grappling with outbreaks of the damaging pest, which have been threatening livestock and infecting folks. The U.S. embassy in Nicaragua mentioned in July that greater than 120 human circumstances of screwworm infestation had been reported within the final yr.
The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the Maryland case on Aug. 4 after reviewing pictures of the insect inflicting the infestation, HHS mentioned.
“That is the primary human case of travel-associated New World screwworm [infestation] from an outbreak-affected nation recognized in america,” the company mentioned. “Presently, the chance to public well being in america from this introduction could be very low.”
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The U.S. cattle and livestock business has reportedly been shaken by the information of the human case. Screwworm can unfold quickly and might kill absolutely grown cows in seven to 10 days, in line with the Nationwide Cattlemen’s Beef Affiliation. The pest threatens $100 billion of U.S. financial exercise tied to the cattle and livestock business, the U.S. Division of Agriculture mentioned earlier this month.
New World screwworm is a sort of fly that lays eggs within the open wounds or mucous membranes, comparable to nasal passages, of mammals and birds. When the eggs hatch, maggots emerge, which then feast on wholesome tissue, in line with the CDC. The title “screwworm” refers back to the manner the maggots burrow into flesh with their sharp mouth hooks.
The screwworms may cause in depth tissue injury and bacterial superinfection, the CDC says. Infestations are very painful and might be lethal if not handled promptly. There isn’t a authorised human therapy for screwworm infestations. Maggots, which might quantity within the lots of, need to be eliminated manually by a medical supplier.
Restricted info has been made public in regards to the Maryland resident who suffered the screwworm infestation, however state well being officers mentioned the particular person has recovered, The Herald-Mail reported. A Maryland well being division spokesman instructed the outlet that there was no indication that the particular person’s infestation had unfold to different folks or animals.
Information of the Maryland case comes simply days after the U.S. authorities introduced steps to stop screwworm outbreaks and shield the U.S. cattle and livestock business from the pest. These measures embrace permitting the emergency use of veterinary medication to deal with or forestall infestations in animals and the constructing of a sterile fly facility in Texas. New World screwworm was eradicated from the U.S. within the Sixties after the discharge of swarms of sterilized male screwworm flies that mated with wild feminine screwworms, which then produced infertile eggs.
The identical method was used to regulate a small screwworm outbreak in Florida in 2017.
Although screwworm infections in persons are uncommon within the U.S., there have been a handful of circumstances in recent times involving vacationers returning to the nation from areas the place the pest is endemic. In 2023, a traveler with a surgical wound returned to Arkansas with a screwworm infestation after visiting Argentina and Brazil, in line with the CDC. Final yr, a traveler returned to Florida with an infestation they’d acquired on trip within the Dominican Republic.
