A person in Maryland was recently infected by the flesh-eating New World screwworm after traveling to El Salvador, US health officials confirmed this week .

The blowflies primarily affect livestock — human cases are rare. In a screwworm infestation, also known as a myiasis, female flies lay eggs in a fresh wound that quickly hatch into larvae.

These maggots burrow into and feed on living tissue, potentially resulting in extensive tissue damage, bacterial infections and even death if unaddressed. 4

A US Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said this week that the “risk to public health in the United States” from this latest case is “very low.”

Here’s what you need to know about this parasitic disease as an outbreak rages on in Central America and Mexico.

What

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