Deadly flesh-eating maggot infects US person for first time in years
A horrifying case of a flesh-eating parasite has been confirmed in the US - the first human infection seen in years.
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The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed that a person in Maryland was diagnosed with the dreaded New World screwworm (NWS) after returning from El Salvador.
The parasite burrows into human flesh and eats it from the inside out.
"This is the first human case of travel-associated New World screwworm myiasis (parasitic infestation of fly larvae) from an outbreak-affected country identified in the US," HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in an emailed statement, according to Reuters.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC), the symptoms for an NWS infestation are "very painful."
Read more: US to dump billions of flies over Mexico in $30m fight against flesh-eating maggot
They include a foul-smelling odour from the site of the infestation, painful skin wounds or sores, unexplained skin lesions that do not heal and bleeding from open sores.
The CDC said NWS infections begin when a female fly lays eggs on open wounds or other parts of the body in live, warm-blooded animals.
It primarily affects livestock but can also infest birds and people.
The smell of a wound or an opening such as the nose, mouth, or eyes will attract the female flies.
The CDC said "prevention" was key and advised people living in areas with NWS present to avoid insect bites, including by wearing long sleeved T-shirts, and keep open wounds clean and covered.
The department said NWS does "not regularly" occur in the US but the parasite is typically found in the Caribbean and South America.
However, in recent months, NWS has been causing chaos in the US as it infiltrates the beef industry, affecting wider wildlife, pets and humans.
In a desperate bid to wipe out the flesh-eating maggot, US officials will unleash swarms of sterilised males - blasted with radiation - North American nation and the US state of Texas.
The strategy works by releasing sterilised males that mate with females but produce no offspring, gradually reducing and eventually collapsing the population of the New World screwworm.
“It’s an exceptionally good technology,” said Edwin Burgess, an assistant professor at the University of Florida who studies parasites in animals.
“It’s an all-time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem.”
