"Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now about to categorize the infectious disease as endemic, meaning occurring regularly within an area or community. This is not just a medical formality but a wake-up call: The disease would no longer be considered an imported tropical disease but regarded as a permanently present health risk in the US. The proposed classification would have far-reaching consequences for monitoring, research and treatment."
"The disease is passed on by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, which is found in various predatory bug species. The insect acquired the nickname "kissing bug" because it often bites sleeping humans in the face, in particular its more thin-skinned parts, such as lips or eyelids. It's not the bite itself that is dangerous, but the feces of the bug that contain the pathogen. By scratching the wound or rubbing the eyes the parasite makes its way into the body."
Chagas disease cases originating from South America are increasingly detected across the United States, with reports in at least eight states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to designate the infection as endemic, which would reclassify it as a persistent domestic health threat and alter monitoring, research and treatment priorities. Trypanosoma cruzi is transmitted primarily by predatory kissing bugs when parasite-filled feces enter bite wounds or mucous membranes; less common routes include blood transfusion, organ transplant and congenital transmission. Global migration and trade have spread infections beyond Latin America, contributing to substantial case numbers in Europe and the US and millions infected worldwide.
Read at www.dw.com
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