There's a parasite slowly destroying people's hearts across America, and most victims have no idea they're infected until it's too late.

The CDC just issued a warning that "kissing bugs" - inch-long bloodsuckers that bite your face - have now spread Chagas disease to 32 states. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are likely already infected. Between 2000 and 2018, only 29 cases were officially confirmed, but that's because nobody's looking for it.

"Most people living with Chagas disease are unaware of their diagnosis, often until it's too late to have effective treatment," says Judith Currier, an infectious disease epidemiologist at UCLA.

How The Disease Works

Here's how this nightmare works: These flat-bodied bugs, also charmingly known as vampire bugs, feed on your blood, typically at night. They tend to bite around the mouth and eyes (hence "kissing" bugs), then defecate near the wound. The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi lives in their feces and enters your body through the bite, your eyes, or your mouth.

Up to 30% of infected people will suffer permanent heart damage or organ failure if left untreated. The parasite literally eats away at your heart muscle over years or decades.

The bugs are winning because of climate change. "With global warming, there's concern among scientists that the borders for where endemic infections occur are shifting northward," explains Joanna Schaenman, an infectious diseases physician. As temperatures rise, these bugs find more comfortable homes further north.

Moving from Animals to Humans

Norman Beatty from the University of Florida and his team found the disease is already well-established in American wildlife and dogs. About half the kissing bugs in the US carry the parasite. Your pets can get it. Wildlife carries it. And now humans are getting it. Once it's in the ecosystem, it's not leaving.

Eight million people worldwide have Chagas, mostly in Latin America. But the CDC wants it officially classified as endemic in the US because pretending it's just a foreign problem isn't working anymore.

The really insidious part? Many people feel nothing when infected. Some get swollen eyelids, fever, fatigue, body aches, headaches, loss of appetite, diarrhea, or vomiting. But these symptoms often disappear, and people think they're fine even if they’re not.

Serious Complications

Not everyone with the infection will go on to develop serious issues. But, if you don't catch and treat Chagas within two months of infection, the parasite can burrow into your heart and digestive muscles. Years later, you might suddenly develop heart failure, irregular heartbeat, or difficulty swallowing. By then, treatment options are limited.

"The disease is definitely underdiagnosed," cardiologist Salvador Hernandez told the Los Angeles Times. "If we screened for it and caught it early, most patients could be cured. The problem is we don't, and people end up dying or requiring terribly expensive care."

Think about that. We have the cure. We just don't bother testing for it because most doctors don't even know to look for Chagas in American patients.

The parasite doesn't just spread through bug bites either. Contaminated food can carry it. Blood transfusions and organ donations can transmit it. Pregnant mothers pass it to their babies. Once it's in a population, it finds ways to spread.

What You Can Do

So what can you actually do? The standard advice feels laughably inadequate against face-biting bugs carrying heart-destroying parasites, but here it goes: Wear insect repellent. Seal cracks around windows and doors. Keep woodpiles and clutter away from your house - kissing bugs love hiding in debris during the day.

If you find one of these bugs in your home, don't crush it with your bare hands (remember, the parasite is in their feces). Capture it in a container and contact your local health department. They need to know where these bugs are showing up.

The bigger issue is systemic. We need routine screening for Chagas, especially in states where the bugs are established. Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico - these places should be testing people regularly. Emergency rooms need to know the symptoms. Primary care doctors need to consider it as a diagnosis.

Instead, we're watching a preventable disease spread while pretending it's someone else's problem. The bugs don't care about borders. The parasite doesn't check your citizenship status. Climate change is expanding their territory every year.

The CDC's warning should be a wake-up call. But given how well Americans have handled recent public health warnings, don't hold your breath. Just check your windows for cracks and hope the kissing bugs pick someone else's face tonight.

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