The number of people infected this year with this parasite (Cochliomyia hominivorax), which lodges in living tissue, triples the number reported for the same period in 2024, when medical analyses recorded 19 cases, the source added.

The 56 Costa Ricans infected in 2025 include 17 people over 75 years of age, demonstrating the impact of the screwworm on this age group, the specialists revealed.

“Statistics show a predominance among people aged 20 to 64 and adults 65 and older (26 cases), but those over 75 constitute the group with the most individual records,” the Ministry of Health explained.

Men, in a gender analysis, accounted for 64% of infections (36 cases), with a rate of 1,3 per 100,000 inhabitants, while 20 cases were reported among women, with a rate of 0,8.

Costa Rica has maintained a national health emergency declaration since February 2023 due to the presence of the screwworm, which is transmitted through the eggs of the fly Cochliomyia hominivorax and can cause severe infections in open wounds.

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