Health Tech

Flesh-Eating Screwworms Found In A Patient In America, How Do These Dangerous Insects Reach The Human Body

The US Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday reported the first human case of the New World Screwworm. This flesh-eating parasite was found in a patient who returned from El Salvador. El Salvador is currently among the countries affected by the New World Screwworm. The US public health agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the case on August 4. Health officials said the patient has fully recovered and there is no evidence of the screwworm spreading to another human or animal.

What is the New World Screwworm?

According to the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the New World Screwworm is a dangerous insect. Screwworm flies are similar in size to house flies or may be slightly larger than them. These flies are blue or green in colour and have three black stripes on their back. These flies have orange eyes.

Screwworms can be found in cattle, pets, wild animals, sometimes birds and in very rare cases even humans. When their larvae penetrate the flesh of a living creature, they cause serious and sometimes fatal damage. Cases of New World screwworm are seen in Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic and South American countries.

How does screwworm spread?

Female screwworm flies lay eggs on animal wounds. After hatching, hundreds of larvae enter the flesh. If not treated, they can also cause death. It is named ‘screwworm’ because these worms enter the wound like a screw enters wood. It can be very dangerous for cattle and wildlife and in rare cases can also affect humans.

Humans with open wounds are at higher risk of spreading the disease, especially if they travel to affected countries or come into contact with livestock carrying the screwworm. The only treatment is to thoroughly clean the wound to remove all larvae. If treated early, the infection can be prevented from spreading.

History of screwworm in the US

According to the US Department of Agriculture, in 1933, the screwworm spread from the southwest to the southeast of the country through infected animals. By 1934, cases were reported in Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

The screwworm was completely eradicated from the US in the 1960s. For this, researchers sterilized a large number of male screwworms. These male flies and wild female flies produced only infertile eggs, that is, eggs that could not develop. In this way the screwworm was eradicated.

The recent outbreak began in Panama in 2023. In July this year, Mexico reported a new case of it about 595 kilometers south of the US border. After this, the US Department of Agriculture banned the import of cattle from the southern port. According to the Department of Agriculture’s estimate, the US imports more than 1 million cattle from Mexico every year. In such a situation, the outbreak of screwworm can cause serious economic damage. This can threaten the economic activity of more than $ 100 billion related to the cattle industry. However, officials say that at present the risk to public health is ‘very low’.

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