KISSING BUG
(sp. Triatoma gerstaeckeri & var.)
Kissing Bugs are coming, in fact, they’re already
here and are carrying the protozoan parasite,
Trypanosoma cruz, known as Chaga Disease,
which has infected nearly 100,000 individuals
in the U.S. alone.
Kissing Bugs are nocturnal feeders who feed on
blood, and human blood is just fine by them.
They’ve been found in burrows, palm trees and
old buildings. They generally avoid other bugs
and exposed areas.
Swollen eyelids, fever, poor appitite and edema
of the face and legs are a few of the initial, acute
symptoms.
The culmative and chronic symptoms, which
may endure and sporadically occur thoughout
the patient’s life, are heart failure, arrhythmias,
thromboemboli, enlarged esophagus, chest pain,
enlarged colon with chronic constipation and
abdominal pain.
At this time, blood supplies and donor organs
in the U.S. are not routinely screened for Chaga
Disease.
Chaga Disease is the fourth leading cause of
death in Latin America.
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The transdermal infection of the Trypanosoma cruz protozoan has a 10%
fatality rate within the first two weeks
of contracting the disease. There is
no vaccine available for Chaga Disease. In South and Central America
it accounts for 45,000 deaths a year.