The U.S. has reported its first human case of the flesh-eating parasite called new world screwworm, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The case involves a patient in Maryland who recently traveled to El Salvador. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maryland Department of Health confirmed the patient was infected with the screwworm on Aug. 4, NBC News reported .

The new world screwworm is a type of fly that can cause widespread devastation to livestock, wildlife and pets. Its larvae can burrow into the flesh of warm-blooded animals via open wounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

It is mostly found in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and South America, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture .

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