Although flesh-eating screwworms have not been found in Oklahoma, awareness in the state is heightened after a Maryland man returning from Central America was found to have contracted the parasite this month.

The New World screwworm fly, which has larvae that infest and feed on living tissue in warm-blooded animals, was found in Mexico last November.

As of Tuesday, Aug. 26, no cases of the screwworm have been confirmed on an animal in the U.S. in 2025, but Oklahoma’s state veterinarian, Dr. Rod Hall, said Oklahoma and Texas are on alert as the fly potentially could make its way northward from Mexico.

“We are concerned about it, but we’re not panicking,” Hall said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists screwworms as a threat to the country's cattle and livestock. The Oklahoma Depar

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