The parasite — the larvae of the new world screwworm fly — can devastate cattle herds and is rife in parts of Central America.

The flesh-eating fly larva infects warm-blooded animals and can be deadly. But HHS says the current risk to human health is “very low.”

The case was confirmed Aug. 4 in a person who had traveled to the United States from El Salvador, said Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services. A recent New World screwworm outbreak in Central America has raised concerns that it could spread to the United States and devastate the cattle industry.