The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed the first human case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite in the US.

A rare case of travel-related New World screwworm was identified in Maryland in a patient who traveled from El Salvador, a spokesman from the US Department of Health and Human Services said.

New World screwworm is a fly that lays its eggs in open wounds and body openings. The parasite is typically found in South America and the Caribbean. It is rare in humans but has