In worrying news for Californians, and the rest of the country, Chagas disease – a parasitic infection – from ‘kissing bugs’ has made its way into the state, ABC7 Eyewitness News reported. It’s causing concerns because the infection can spread through many parts – through the bugs mainly – and cause chronic health problems, and even death, the World Health Organization (WHO) states.
These bugs, now firmly entrenched in Southern California, can be found in wooded areas of Griffith Park and often attack the face, the publication also said. Apart from California, these ‘kissing bugs’ have been found in 32 other states, including Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. These bugs feed on blood, belonging to humans, pets, and wild animals. They tend to bite on the face, around the mouth and eyes, which earned them the nickname, as per Texas A&M’s Kissing Bugs program.
Given that at least eight Americans have caught Chagas disease through local transmission, scientists have urged the CDC and WHO to officially declare it endemic in the US. So, what is Chagas disease and how to detect it?
What is Chagas disease?
Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is an infection caused by a protozoan parasite. However, the World Health Organization notes that only with a missed or late diagnosis with absent or incomplete treatment and follow-up can turn this into a life-threatening situation.
What are the symptoms of Chagas disease?
The symptoms of Chagas disease appear in two phases – the initial phase which lasts about two months after infection, and the chronic phase, as per WHO.
In the initial phase, symptoms mostly include fever, headache, enlarged lymph glands, pallor, muscle pain, difficulty in breathing, swelling, and abdominal or chest pain. Skin lesion or a purplish swelling of one’s eyelid are also among possible symptoms, but are seen more rarely, the agency adds.
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Meanwhile, in the chronic phase, these parasites are hidden in the heart and digestive muscles. One to three decades after the infection, up to a third of patients suffer cardiac disorders and up to 1 in 10 suffer from digestive, neurological, or mixed alterations. Patients, in later years, may suffer damage to the nervous system, muscles of the heart and digestive system, which may lead to cardiac arrhythmias, progressive heart failure, and sudden death, the WHO noted.
How to treat Chagas disease
Chagas disease can be treated with benznidazole or nifurtimox, and if they are administered early, can fully cure the disease too. While these can be given in the acute phase, for congenital transmission as well, their efficacy reduces the longer a person has been infected. Adverse conditions are also more frequent and potentially severe when people are older.
Adults who are infected but don’t show any signs, should be given the medicines as well, since they act to curb the disease progression in many cases. WHO states benznidazole and nifurtimox should not be given to pregnant women or those with kidney or liver failures. Nifurtimox is contraindicated for those with neurological or psychiatric disorders.
The parasite has been detected in local wildlife for now – mainly rats and skunks. While Chagas disease is not transmitted from animals to humans as is, bites are the main reason. Though insect repellants can help, experts don’t recommend it for the face, ABC7 Eyewitness News noted. Rather, they feel awareness is the best protection.
