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If you see or feel larvae in or on a person’s wound, contact a healthcare provider immediately and do not try to remove them yourself. For a pet or livestock animal, contact a veterinarian and promptly report the suspected case to your state animal health official and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). In areas where New World screwworm flies are present, covering wounds and using CDC-recommended exposure precautions can help reduce risk.
What New World screwworm is—and why it needs prompt attention
New World screwworm (NWS, Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a parasitic fly. Its larvae feed on living tissue after eggs are laid in a wound or on a mucous membrane or body opening. That is different from larvae that feed only on dead material. An infestation can occur through even a small break in the skin, and may also affect areas such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, genitals, or anorectal area, according to the CDC clinical overview.
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Suspected screwworm is not a problem to manage with routine wound care or a household insect spray. People need prompt professional medical care; animals need veterinary direction and official reporting.
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How to reduce exposure in areas where NWS flies are present
CDC recommends the following precautions for people in affected areas. These measures reduce exposure; they do not replace medical or veterinary care if larvae are suspected.
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- Keep wounds clean and covered. Cover open wounds, even small ones, and keep the covering in place.
- Wear protective clothing. Choose loose-fitting long sleeves and pants, a hat, and socks.
- Use an EPA-registered insect repellent. Follow the product label.
- Treat clothing and gear with 0.5% permethrin. Use only as the product label directs. Clothing- and gear-treatment products are not for application to skin or wounds.
- Sleep in a screened or enclosed space. CDC advises sleeping indoors or in a screened room or tent.
These are CDC’s human exposure precautions in its New World Screwworm outbreak guidance. They are not instructions for treating a pet or livestock animal.
What to do if you see or feel larvae in a person
Contact a healthcare provider immediately if larvae are visible or you feel movement in or on a wound or another body area. Do not attempt to pull out, kill, or dispose of larvae yourself. The CDC outbreak guidance specifically directs people with suspected larvae to seek immediate medical help.
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Warning signs to take seriously
- A painful wound that is worsening or not healing
- Foul odor, bleeding, bloody discharge, or swelling
- Visible larvae or eggs
- A sensation of movement in a wound or body opening
These signs warrant professional assessment, particularly after possible exposure in an area where NWS is present. Do not wait for every sign to appear before seeking care if larvae are seen or felt.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsClinical evaluation and treatment belong to a healthcare professional. CDC’s clinical overview says treated lesions should be reexamined after 24–48 hours to confirm no larvae remain; that interval is clinical-provider guidance, not a recommended period to wait at home before seeking care.
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What to do if a pet or livestock animal may be infested
- Contact a veterinarian promptly. Describe what you see and where the animal may have been exposed. The veterinarian should direct examination and treatment.
- Report the suspected case immediately. USDA APHIS advises reporting to your state animal health official and APHIS. Use the contact information on the APHIS New World screwworm prevention page.
- Follow veterinary and official instructions. Do not apply human repellents, clothing permethrin, or generic fly sprays to an animal as treatment. A product’s authorization, species, use, and restrictions matter.
FDA maintains a changing, species-specific list of animal drugs with conditional approvals and emergency use authorizations on its Animal Drugs for New World Screwworm page. A listing does not mean that a product is suitable for every species, animal, or situation; treatment choices should be made with a veterinarian and checked against the current authorization and label.
Why species and food-animal restrictions matter
For example, an FDA emergency-use authorization revised June 22, 2026, for F10 Antiseptic Wound Spray with Insecticide covers listed livestock and equid species, birds, and captive or captured wild, exotic, and zoo mammals. The notice says it may not be used in domestic dogs or cats, and sets a 30-day slaughter restriction for cattle, goats, and sheep. Those limits apply to that authorization, not to all animal treatments. See the FDA authorization notice and consult a veterinarian.
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How personal precautions fit into fly control
Covering wounds and protecting people or animals are only one layer of prevention. USDA identifies mass production and targeted dispersal of sterile flies as critical control measures; the broader response also includes surveillance, animal movement controls, and public outreach. These government-level measures aim to suppress fly populations and limit spread, rather than treat an individual wound. See USDA APHIS’s unified response overview.
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What official U.S. outbreak information says
CDC’s outbreak summary reports that USDA-APHIS reported the first animal case in the United States in the current outbreak on June 3, 2026. The page describes animal and human cases across Central America and Mexico after an outbreak was identified in Panama and Costa Rica in 2023. It also says that, at the time of its update, no human infestations acquired in the United States had been reported and the risk to people remained very low. These are dated statements from the CDC page, not a live case count or a guarantee of current local conditions. Check the official CDC outbreak summary and APHIS guidance for current information.
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APHIS says the United States eradicated NWS in 1966 using the sterile insect technique and eliminated a small Florida Keys outbreak in 2017. Past eradication does not remove the need to follow current alerts and report suspected cases.
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