The first human screwworm case in the United States has been traced to a person in Maryland, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC and Maryland Department of Health investigated and confirmed a case of New World screwworm in a patient who returned to Maryland from a trip to Guatemala. The case was also investigated by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“The case was confirmed by CDC through telediagnosis on August 4, 2025,” a CDC spokesperson said in a statement sent to The Baltimore Sun. “This is the first human case of travel-associated New World screwworm myiasis from an outbreak-affected country identified in the United States.”

The New World screwworm is a flesh-eating parasite that lays eggs under their

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