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Hidalgo Confirms First Human Case of Screw-Worm Infection

Health leaders say the diagnosis signals broader risk that demands quick reporting of non-healing wounds.

Overview

  • State health officials confirmed a 57-year-old man from the Otomí-Tepehua region as the first human case and said he is under care following protocol.
  • Authorities activated immediate epidemiological surveillance and control actions in Hidalgo to limit further spread.
  • Other suspected infections remain under review, including a sample from Tenango de Doria, while San Salvador issued an urgent notice to tighten local monitoring.
  • The screw-worm is the larva of the fly Cochliomyia hominivorax, which lays eggs in open wounds and can eat living tissue if not treated quickly.
  • National tracking lists 189 probable and 112 confirmed human cases through the third week of April, and the pest has been found in 45 municipalities in Hidalgo.