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Wednesday, April 24, 2019

CDC: Blood-sucking 'Kissing Bug' Confirmed in Delaware

Public health officials have confirmed the presence of the so-called “kissing bug” in Delaware for the first time in the state's history.

The insect—Triatoma sanguisuga—is a blood-sucking creature that feeds on animals and humans, and has a particular fondness for biting faces. While the bites themselves are not necessarily dangerous, the bugs can transmit a parasite that causes Chagas disease—a potentially serious illness.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a family from Kent County Delaware contacted local health authorities in July 2018 after an insect had bitten their child’s face while she was watching television.

The family told officials that they lived near a heavily wooded area and had not traveled recently outside the region.

The parasite that kissing bugs sometimes carry causes Chagas disease—which can lead to serious cardiac and gastrointestinal complications. According to the Mayo Clinic, the disease can cause a sudden, brief (acute) illness or it may advance to a long-lasting (chronic) condition. Symptoms range from mild to severe, although many people don’t experience anything until the chronic stage.

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4 comments:

  1. Oh come on now, is that anyway to describe Joe Biden?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol that's the first thing I thought!!

      Delete
  2. In the end the bugs will win.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now just how do you think these bugs are coming here from south and central America??? The illegals and their belongings are probably loaded with them, and every kind of disease not known to the medical field here, so don't know how to treat these mystery foreign ailments.

    ReplyDelete

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