As if Texans don't have enough to worry about right now.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has issued a warning for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts to be on the lookout for new dangerous "maneater" parasites from flies that lay eggs in open wounds, nostrils, eyes and mouths.
It's called the New World Screwworm and was first found in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas but has now made its way into Texas. The TPWD warns that the NWS is a "devastating pest."
The Texas Parks Department explained in an advisory that NWS maggots will lay eggs in "open wounds or orifices of live tissue such as nostrils, eyes or mouth.
"These eggs hatch into dangerous parasitic larvae, and the maggots burrow or screw into flesh with sharp mouth hooks. Wounds can become larger, and an infestation can often cause serious, deadly damage or death to the infected animal."
According to CBS News, signs of an infection from a NWS, also known as New World Screwworm Myiasis, include "irritated or depressed behavior, loss of appetite, head shaking, the smell of decaying flesh, the presence of maggots in wounds and isolation from other animals or people."
In order to prevent an infestation, wildlife officials say to clean and cover all wounds when spending time outdoors, especially in NWS-affected areas, and to apply insect repellant to outdoor clothing.
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