On Monday, an American woman was diagnosed and treated for a rare case of myiasis in a Delhi hospital. It was a kind of tissue infection in her eye for which she underwent a successful surgery at Fortis hospital, the hospital authorities claimed. The woman had recently visited the Amazon forests. Shockingly, during the operation, three live human botflies almost 2 cm in size, were removed from the woman. The 32-year-old had consulted doctors in the US, but the myiasis could not be removed and they discharged her after giving some symptomatic relief medicines.
What is Myiasis?
Myiasis is a type of infection of a fly larva (maggot) in human tissues. This infection can catch you mostly in tropical and subtropical areas. In myiasis, there is a constant feeling of itching, a sensation of movement, and a sharp and stabbing pain. Initially, people experience a small and red bump that may look like a common insect bite pimple. But later on, the bump enlarges, and a small opening can be seen in the middle.
The main cause of human getting myiasis is if an infection from accidentally ingesting larvae, flies lay eggs around an open wound or sore, or through the nose or ears. People may also get bit by mosquitoes or ticks that harbor larvae. The larvae can be removed surgically for the treatment. Generally, the wound is cleaned everyday after the larvae are removed. Proper cleaning and maintaining hygeine of wounds is extremley important while treating myiasis. Antibiotics can help in managing the symptoms of this infection.
Also read: Ministry Of Health Clears The Air Whether Coronavirus Is Spread Through Flies or Not
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US woman case study
The patient went to the emergency room with symptoms such as swelling in the right upper eyelid along with redness and tenderness. She also complained that she was having a sensation of something moving inside her eyelids once in a while since the past 4-6 weeks, Fortis hospital, Vasant Kunj, said in a statement.
Dr Mohammad Nadeem, consultant and head emergency department, at the hospital, said, "It was a very rare case of myiasis. Therefore, these cases need to be evaluated in detail urgently". He further added, "The US national is a traveller and had a history of visiting the Amazon jungle two months back. Suspecting foreign body from her history of travelling, and noticing movements inside her skin, diagnosis was done." The surgery was completed in 10-15 minutes with all aseptic precautions, without any anesthesia. The woman was discharged on symptomatic prescribed medicines from the emergency department, the statement added.