The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the first human case of tapeworm infection in the United States, a parasitic flesh-eating worm. The patient had returned from travel in El Salvador, and sources in the beef industry stated that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the infection in a person in Maryland. However, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the public health risk in the U.S. from this case is very low. The U.S. government has not confirmed any animal infections this year. Recently, the World Organisation for Animal Health warned about the continued spread of the tapeworm. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that an outbreak could cost Texas, the largest U.S. cattle-producing state, approximately $1.8 billion due to livestock deaths, labor costs, and medication expenses.