"Federal officials have been concerned the flesh-eating New World screwworm could devastate the beef industry."
"A rare human case of a flesh-eating parasite known as New World screwworm has been confirmed in a Maryland resident as the Trump administration is trying to prevent the resurgence of an insect largely eradicated from livestock decades ago.
The case was confirmed Aug. 4 in a person who had traveled to the United States from El Salvador, said Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.
The resident has recovered without evidence of infecting other humans or animals, state health officials said in a statement Monday.
A recent New World screwworm outbreak in Central America has raised concerns that it could spread to the United States and devastate the cattle industry. But state and federal health officials said the Maryland case is not cause for alarm, and plans for a new sterile fly production facility in South Texas aim to tamp down global threats from the pest."
Grace Moon, Jenna Portnoy and Lena H. Sun report for the Washington Post August 28, 2025.
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