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

Recently, the Maryland Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that a traveler returned to the United States infected with a flesh-eating parasite, and it's the first human case ever recorded in the country.

A Maryland resident has recovered after being diagnosed with New World screwworm — the first reported U.S. case in years that's tied to travel in a country with an outbreak. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the case on Aug.