{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreie3j3vcr3qwcf2y2sm42thk2s6doldsio4pbyeit7dkuj44ladusm",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:b7afdzqsmwksxypciqnplglk/app.bsky.feed.post/3mn6eukxvff32"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreigynvkdbsql2bp54jlzgw4mruw5rjtgoqipvle6auhkcbisb5p6ea"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 54255
  },
  "path": "/2026/05/31/flesh-eating-screwworm-infests-humans-pets-found-just-a-miles-us-border-28594555/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-31T19:20:47.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "News",
    "US",
    "Mexico",
    "United States of America",
    "economy",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "An adult New World screwworm which could cause devastation to US cattle if it spreads across the border from Mexico (Picture: AP)\n\nFears have been raised over the spread of a parasitic worm that could have a devastating impact on the food chain.\n\nThe New World screwworm has been found in Mexico just 30 miles from the US border. It’s a devastating parasite that can kill fully-grown cows in less than two weeks.\n\nIts spread has spooked US officials, fearing the US’s food supply could be impacted if it crosses into the country.\n\nThe latest detection of the fly was in a six-month-old sheep in the Coahuila state.\n\nAs of May 20, there have been more than 171,000 reported cases in animals in Central America and Mexico, and more than 1,960 cases in people.\n\nThe New World screwworm larvae feeds off the host’s blood by hooking itself into wounds (Picture: AP)\n\nWhy is it so feared? The maggots lay eggs in open wounds, which then feed on the blood of their hosts.\n\nIt was eradicated in the US in the 1960s but there was an outbreak in Texas in 1976 which affected more than 1,400,000 cattle. Today, that would cost the economy in Texas alone an estimated $1,800,000,000.\n\nHuman transmission is rare but the first ever case of infestation was confirmed in August last year.\n\nThe US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued advice to Americans living near livestock.\n\nAn outbreak among cattle could cause around $1,800,000,800-worth of damage to the economy in Texas (Picture: Reuters)\n\nIt said people should contact their healthcare prover immediately if they ‘see or feel maggots (larvae) in or on a wound or other area of your body’.\n\nSymptoms can also include unexplained wounds that do not heal, a foul-smelling odour from the site of infestation, and seeing maggots in open wounds or in areas of the body such as the nose, mouth, eyes, ears or genitals.\n\nThe US Customs and Border Protection office has launched a campaign raising awareness about screwworm.\n\nDonald R Kusser from the Laredo office said: ‘We are working to increase public awareness regarding New World Screwworm so that the public can help prevent this invasive pest from reaching the US and adversely affecting US livestock and pets.’\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Flesh-eating parasite that infests humans and pets found just a few miles from US border"
}