Chagas Disease (American trypanosumiasis)

Chagas disease is an infection caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi. This parasite infects the reduviid bug, commonly called the “kissing bug,” which then may deposit parasite-contaminated excrement on a human. The human may catch the disease if the contaminated feces is accidentally ingested, rubbed into the eyes, or spread onto an open wound.

Symptoms:

In humans, early symptoms are rare and may only consist of swelling around the area where the parasite may have entered the body. Unfortunately, most symptoms do not appear for ten or twenty years after the initial infection, at which time they may be severe and life threatening. Chagas disease that shows up later in life often causes early death due to heart complications.

Prevention and Treatment:

There is no vaccination for prevention, and once chronic Chagas disease has developed there is no treatment. Since the reduviid bug mainly lives in poor, substandard housing units made of thatch and mud, it is rarely a problem for travelers who stay in hotels or resorts. If you venture into the more rural areas of Mexico, insecticides and bed netting may prevent contact with the reduviid bug.