Prevention

Preventing skin breaks and avoiding NWS flies are key to protecting yourself in areas where the flies are present. Below are additional methods to protect yourself from NWS

• Keep open wounds clean and covered, no matter how small or where they are located on the body. 
• Sleep indoors with closed windows or screened open windows. If you are outside, sleep under a bed net or inside a screened tent.
• Protect your skin and prevent insect bites by:
  • Using an EPA-registered insect repellent.
  • Treating clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin per the label.
  • Wearing loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants, hats, and socks to limit access to your body by NWS flies and biting insects.

Seek Treatment

• If you experience maggots in or on a wound or other area of your body, contact your healthcare provider immediately. Tell them if you have recently traveled to Central or South America, the Caribbean, or Mexico. 
• Your healthcare provider will need to remove each maggot, sometimes surgically. 
• Do not try to remove any maggots or egg masses yourself. If maggots or eggs fall out of the wound, place them in a leak-proof container with rubbing alcohol to kill them. Bring them with you to your healthcare provider.