The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report warning about a disease caused by blood-sucking insects known as “kissing bugs.”
“In the United States, triatomines are commonly known as kissing bugs. The blood-sucking insects occur naturally in the southern half of the country and have been identified in 32 states,” the CDC stated.
“Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi parasites, is considered endemic to 21 countries in the Americas, excluding the United States. However, increasing evidence of T. cruzi parasites in the United States in triatomine insects, domestic animals, wildlife, and humans challenges that nonendemic label,” the agency continued.
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The report said Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, can be transmitted through “congenital, oral, and vectorborne routes.”
“Health officials warn that thousands of
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