First U.S. Human Screwworm Case Linked To Central America Travel Confirmed In Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Aug. 4 the primary human case of New World screwworm within the United States in many years, involving a Maryland resident who had just lately traveled to Central America. Federal officers introduced the case publicly on Aug. 25 after finishing preliminary evaluations with state well being authorities.

“The risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low,” stated Andrew G. Nixon, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. No particulars concerning the affected person’s location, therapy facility, or id had been launched.

New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a parasitic blowfly whose larvae infest open wounds, feeding on residing tissue. Left untreated, infestations could cause extreme harm or dying. The species was eradicated from the U.S. within the Nineteen Sixties utilizing sterile-insect applications however stays current in elements of Mexico and Central America.

To scale back the chance of reintroduction, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is establishing a sterile fly manufacturing facility in South Texas and one other in southern Mexico.

The discovery has raised issues within the cattle business, which warns a widespread outbreak may price Texas alone as much as $1.8 billion.

Federal well being officers confused the case was travel-associated and stated there is no such thing as a proof of native transmission in Maryland.

For extra details about New World screwworm and prevention, go to the CDC’s useful resource web page: cdc.gov/myiasis/about-new-world-screwworm-myiasis

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