In August 2025, U.S. health officials confirmed the nation’s first human case of the New World screwworm — a flesh-eating parasite whose larvae burrow into living tissue. The Maryland patient, recently returned from El Salvador, has recovered, but authorities warn that re-establishment of the fly could threaten livestock and wildlife. Eradicated in the U.S. decades ago through sterile-fly releases, the parasite has resurged in parts of Central America, prompting new surveillance and containment measures at home.
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