"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 United States," a spokesperson for the U.S. Health and Human Services told Chron.

The parasite — the larvae of the new world screwworm fly — can devastate cattle herds and is rife in parts of Central America.

U.S. officials confirmed a case of the flesh-eating parasite in a person who traveled from El Salvador. Screwworm typically affects cattle in South America but has spread north in recent years.