

Following the treatment, the larvae should then emerge from the skin or can be squeezed out using finger pressure followed by a course of antibiotics. Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or liquid paraffin can be applied to the boils or lesions to suffocate the larvae and lubricate the cavity in the skin. Once the skin has become infected with the larvae, it is critical to get treatment straight away to prevent bacterial infection. The larvae then fall to the ground where they bury themselves in order to go into its final stage of growth before turning into an adult fly.Īccording to the NICD, “The increase in the number of cases is most likely related to the recent marked increase in seasonal rainfall, leading to the expansion of the fly's normal range, namely the warmer northern and eastern parts of the country," Source: .za Treatment The larvae then grow and fatten up in the subcutaneous tissue and after 8-12 days, a boil forms and develops a small opening through which the larvae can breathe. Once they hatch, the larvae burrows into the skin of a warm-blooded host, typically dogs or rodents, but humans also become accidental hosts

The Mango fly deposits eggs usually on urine or faeces-contaminated sand, soil or clothing. The bot fly larvae in question are those of the Tumbu Fly (also known as the ‘mango’ or ‘putsi’ fly), renowned for using dogs, rodents and even humans as a host during the larvae stage and causing a horrifying condition known as cutaneous myiasis - an infestation of the skin by developing larvae. In early May, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) sparked panic when they confirmed an outbreak of bot fly larvae infestations in the North West Province, with increasing sporadic cases occurring in Gauteng.
