Sreemoyee Chatterjee
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Written By: Sreemoyee Chatterjee | Published : August 23, 2018 5:56 PM IST
Kissing bugs have now become a threat in the US. Please do not get carried away by the name as the infection that this kind of bug is spreading, is not so casual. Triatomine bugs are blood sucking bugs that are transmitting a severe parasitic illness called Chagas disease, which, if left untreated, can lead to serious cardiac and intestinal disorders in about 30% of the patients bitten by these bugs, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A recent media report has stated that these complications can be fatal, resulting in heart failure, stroke and sudden death. Chagas disease is dangerous as it is initially asymptomatic with many people not showing any symptoms of the infection at an early stage, say medical researchers. This is why it has been described as a 'silent killer'.
The American Heart Association and the Inter-American Society of Cardiology has recently reported that Chagas has typically hit the Central and South America and is gradually spreading to the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan. The medical researchers have alerted the doctors across the globe to be careful in detecting, treating and managing the infection at the earliest.
Around three lakh people in the US alone and 6 million people across the world have been infected with Chagas at present, states an American Health Association estimate. People are instructed to be cautious at night as certain species of these bugs crawl on to people, animals and mammals to feed on them and often end up biting on the face, especially near eyes and mouth, which is why, they are referred to as kissing bugs. Around 12 out of over 100 species of triatomine bugs are known to be potent transmitters of Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite causing Chagas.
Experts say that these bugs defecate when they eat on humans and leave feces that contain the parasite. When these feces get rubbed into the bite wound or into mucous membranes, people get infected.
Swollen eye lids, fever, fatigue, body aches or a rash are rare initial symptoms that infected patients may experience, says Texas A&M's Chagas research team. In certain cases, infected patients may suffer from diarrhoea, vomiting as well. Small children may experience swelling in heart or brain leading to death.
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