It's the stuff of nightmares, an insect that feeds on live tissue and causes an infestation of larvae and maggots that feed on the host.

Well, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has confirmed a Maryland resident who recently traveled to El Salvador is the first documented case of New World screwworm in the U.S. since an outbreak in the Florida Keys in 2017.The parasitic fly was eradicated here in 1966, and there were no confirmed human infections in the Florida outbreak.

New World screwworm (NWS) feeds on live tissue and can cause myiasis, an infestation of larvae, or maggots. NWS is rare in humans, but animals, including livestock, pets, and wildlife, are susceptible.

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The New World screwworm will land on an open wound and lay eggs that hatch into larvae and m

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