Learn more about other potentially dangerous parasites and associated conditions here.īug sprays are a common repellent for kissing bugs. Successfully treating Chagas disease during the acute phase is the only way to prevent the chronic phase and the potential for these issues. These complications can be serious or fatal, so it is vital to see a doctor if a person suspects Chagas disease. However, the CDC note that 20–30% of people may experience severe cardiac and gastrointestinal signs and symptoms years later, including: It poses a greater risk in the chronic stage, as there is no cure.Įven in chronic cases, people may never have other symptoms. However, the infection is still present in the body. During the chronic phase, the symptoms will improve on their own, as the number of parasites will naturally lower without treatment. Once this phase is over, the infection will enter the chronic phase. This is a swelling of the eyelid due to infection in or near the eye. Some children may also experience symptoms called Romaña’s sign during the acute phase. These symptoms are a reaction to the parasite circulating in the body. If they do experience symptoms, they are likely to be mild and similar to those of a flu. In the acute phase, which occurs in the first few weeks after infection, a person may experience no symptoms. There are also an increasing number of cases in the southern United States.Ĭhagas disease has two stages. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that around 8 million people have Chagas disease in these areas. They are a major issue in South and Central America, as well as in Mexico. Kissing bugs can enter the house from virtually any opening, though they commonly come through a tear in a screen door or an open window. Kissing bugs generally live in areas with plenty of food sources, such as wooded areas and trees that house rodents and birds for them to feed on. A person may experience numerous bites clustered together in these areas. This is why they seem to bite people on the face, near the mouth and around the eyes. These bugs get their name from the fact that they are attracted to the carbon dioxide that humans exhale. Their saliva contains a compound that numbs the area they bite, so the person is often unaware of the bite at all. Kissing bugs will normally hide during the day and come out at night, biting and feeding on a person’s blood while they sleep. Kissing bugs are nocturnal, meaning that they hide during the day and are most active at night. Kissing bugs, or triatomines, feed off of the blood of humans and other animals. Share on Pinterest A bite from a kissing bug may cause Chagas disease.
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