Please review this information from the U.S. CDC on the reemergence of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Northern Mexico, issued on January 20, 2026. It outlines key actions that clinicians can take to recognize, treat, and report cases of NWS myiasis. As of January 27, 2026, there are no confirmed cases of locally-acquired NWS myiasis in Maine or elsewhere in the United States. Clinicians should consider NWS in the differential for cases of myiasis in live tissue in a person who has traveled to an area where the NWS fly is endemic.
The NWS fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is not present in Maine. The risk of myiasis caused by local infection in Maine is very low. Any patients in Maine with suspected NWS myiasis should be reported immediately to the Maine CDC by phone at 1-800-821-5821 under the “unusual illness of infectious cause” condition in the Maine notifiable disease rules.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) can help coordinate specimen collection, diagnosis, and consultation with the U.S CDC on all suspected cases. Samples from suspected human cases should be sent to the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL). A completed HETL Requisition Form is required with all samples. Testing for NWS myiasis is not available through commercial laboratories.
Veterinarians with suspected animal cases should report their suspicion immediately to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry (DACF) at 207-287-3701 or USDA Veterinary Services at 1-866-536-7593 for assistance in specimen submission.
For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/new-world-screwworm and refer to the resources below.