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.

The first human case of the flesh-eating parasite, New World Screwworm, has been detected in the United States.

The case was confirmed Aug. 4 in a person who had traveled to the United States from El Salvador, said Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services. A recent New World screwworm outbreak in Central America has raised concerns that it could spread to the United States and devastate the cattle industry.