What is it?

A kissing bug bites humans on their faces, hence the name kissing bug. After the bite, it defecates on the open wound. Its excrement contains deadly parasites that enter the injury site when a person unknowingly scratches the open wound afterward. The parasites come into the body and cause Chagas disease.

The kissing bugs are also called triatomines and are native to Central and South America. According to a report released in December 2017 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC), the bug affects over 8 million in South and Central America. According to the report, it has spread to the United States affecting 300,000 had been affected.

Kiss of Death

A parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi (T cruzi) that causes Chagas disease is spread by the kissing bug, resulting in persistent heart disease in 20-30% of the people affected. The illness causes severe medical problems over the course of the lives of those infected. It causes abnormal heartbeats that can lead to sudden death, an oversized heart that malfunctions and an enlarged colon and esophagus that causes problems in passing stool and eating.

The parasite can remain dormant in the bloodstream for months or weeks before causing fever or swelling at the wound inflicted by the kissing bug. During the initial phase, the victim may be unaware of the infection for long periods as traces of the parasite may not be found in blood.

Habitat

The kissing bug mostly lives in underneath porches, under concrete blocks, beneath tree backs, animal burrows, and free animal houses, and similar like dump places.

Prevention

The kissing bug resembles other bugs such as the western corsair, wheel bug, and leaf-footed bug. When you suspect one, it is advisable to trap it in a glass container without touching it with bare hands and take it to a university or health department for identification.

Early diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease are essential, many infected people live healthy lives after the initial fever and do not show any symptoms until the onset of medical complications. If you suspect that a kissing bug has bitten you, contact a specialist.

Kissing bug sheltering areas can be treated by spraying pyrethrin sprays around outbuildings and homes.