Credit – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Aug. 4 the first human case of New World screwworm in the United States in decades, involving a Maryland resident who had recently traveled to Central America. Federal officials announced the case publicly on Aug. 25 after completing initial reviews with state health authorities.
“The risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low,” said Andrew G. Nixon, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. No details about the patient’s location, treatment facility, or identity were released.
New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a parasitic blowfly whose larvae infest open wounds, feeding on living tissue. Left untreated, infestations can cause severe damage or death. The species was eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s using sterile-insect programs but remains present in parts of Mexico and Central America.
To reduce the risk of reintroduction, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is constructing a sterile fly production facility in South Texas and another in southern Mexico.
The discovery has raised concerns in the cattle industry, which warns a widespread outbreak could cost Texas alone up to $1.8 billion.
Federal health officials stressed the case was travel-associated and said there is no evidence of local transmission in Maryland.
For more information about New World screwworm and prevention, visit the CDC’s resource page: cdc.gov/myiasis/about-new-world-screwworm-myiasis
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Released to public 21 days after confirmed… Was the CDC working with Big Pharma to see if they had a way to get rich off this first?
These are really tasty of you parboil and season with Old Bay.