Flesh-eating screwworms feast on humans in Mexico; human cases top 500
Six deaths reported among screwworm cases, one directly attributed to the flies.
Since the flesh-eating screwworm fly returned to Mexico in 2024, the number of human cases has soared. By the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, over 500 individuals had contracted the parasitic infection, according to a July report from Mexico's Ministry of Health. A recent study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases examined over 200 confirmed cases from April 2025 to March 2026 and discovered that the infestation rate is accelerating.
Six deaths were recorded among the 200 confirmed cases studied. One of these fatalities was directly attributed to the fly's maggots, as reported by Mexican researchers in the study. The New World screwworm (NWS) fly was once widespread in Mexico and the United States. These flies deposit hundreds of eggs in wounds, inflamed tissue, mucous membranes, and orifices of warm-blooded animals.
Within a day, the hatching maggots begin to devour the living flesh of their hosts. Although the maggots cause horrific, life-threatening wounds in various warm-blooded creatures, including humans, they are especially destructive to livestock.
Written by urgent.news from Ars Technica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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