The first human case of the flesh-eating parasite New World screwworm has been detected, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked with the Maryland Department of Health to confirm the case Aug. 4 through telediagnosis, the HHS told The Hill. The parasite was found in a person who had returned from travel to El Salvador, which is currently experiencing an outbreak of the parasite.

“Currently, the risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon wrote in an email to The Hill.

Reuters reported last week that beef industry sources were told the CDC found a case of the parasite in a person in Maryland who had returned from traveling to Guatemala.

The HHS

See Full Page