Chagas disease: Know risks, factors that can impact your health

The presence of parasitic disease in the US has sounded the alarm bells, as it has long been associated with Latin America, as researchers have warned in them.

Chagas disease, transmitted by blood-sucking insects known as kissing bugs, can complicate heart problems in humans and dogs.

It is often known as a “silent infection., Chagas can go unnoticed for years because most people show little to no symptoms in the early stages.

According to the WHO, the disease has claimed 10,000 lives, putting 75 million lives at risk.

Blood-feeding insects like mosquitoes are the key players that contribute to the spread of parasitic disease.

How is Chagas disease transmitted?

Blood-sucking insects, which thrive on blood like mosquitoes, are the main transmitters of this disease.

As Dr. Sara Hamer, a veterinary epidemiologist, explains, “This is not a disease that’s regularly transmitted from humans to humans directly, or even from animals to humans directly. That’s why the kissing bug, in that insect vector, is so critically important to the transmission of this disease.”

Transmission occurs when:

Humans: Kissing bug feces containing the parasite enter the body during feeding.

Dogs: Eating infected kissing bugs.

A hard-to-detect disease

The parasitic disease can silently cause damage over time, often without noticeable symptoms.

The disease can become a nightmare when it enters into the heart tissue, which can cause a pretty devastating heart disease and damages the heart’s ability to function normally.

Experts stress that, while Chagas is in the US, the risk of local infection is lower than in Latin America, partly because US kissing bugs typically stay outdoors, not inside homes.