About one-third of people who are infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease develop chronic heart problems at some point in their lives. The infection often goes undiagnosed until it’s too late, experts say, which is why early screening and prevention practices are so important.
What is Chagas disease, and how is it spread?
Chagas disease is an infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite that lives in the gut of the triatomine insect—also known as the kissing bug because of its tendency to sometimes (but not always) bite humans near their mouths, while they sleep.
The T. cruzi parasite isn’t spread through the kissing bug’s bite in the same way that mosquito-borne viruses are; it’s spread through its feces. “If the kissing bug bites you and it has a blood meal and then it defecates, and then you scratch that area and rub it into the wound or rub your eyes, you could become infected,” says Stigler-Granados. (“Yes, it’s disgusting,” she adds.)
How prevalent is Chagas disease in the United States?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are about 300,000 people living in the U.S. with Chagas disease and that most of them acquired it in other countries. But Stigler-Granados says that number is a calculation based on immigrant populations moving to the United States, not on actual documented cases. Some experts, she says, believe the true number is closer to 1 million.
Blogger who interesting to provide various tips about health. especially medicines in a natural way.
0 Response to "Heart Doctors Are Warning About Chagas Disease - Article Health"
Post a Comment