See “Doctors advocate fresh efforts to combat Chagas disease, a silent killer” at https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/24/health/chagas-disease-kff-health-news-partner/index.html By Paula Andalo, KFF Health News, Thu., August 24, 2023.
“Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas, is transmitted through an insect called the triatomine bug, known as the kissing bug, because it usually bites close to the lips. The bugs defecate on the skin, and the feces, which can contain the parasite, can enter a person’s body through the nose, mouth, or breaks in the skin.
“Chagas disease affects people primarily in rural Latin America, where the insect thrives in thatched roofs and mud walls. It is not transmitted from person to person, except for a mother passing it to a newborn, or through blood transfusions or organ transplants.”
Not exactly a “When in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout” sort of issue, but it can’t hurt to know about it.
David Johns: .
City: Cuenca
“Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas, is transmitted through an insect called the triatomine bug, known as the kissing bug, because it usually bites close to the lips. The bugs defecate on the skin, and the feces, which can contain the parasite, can enter a person’s body through the nose, mouth, or breaks in the skin.
“Chagas disease affects people primarily in rural Latin America, where the insect thrives in thatched roofs and mud walls. It is not transmitted from person to person, except for a mother passing it to a newborn, or through blood transfusions or organ transplants.”
Not exactly a “When in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout” sort of issue, but it can’t hurt to know about it.
David Johns: .
City: Cuenca
