Chagas disease, deadlier than previously thought
The fact that Chagas Disease goes under-reported makes it more disastrous. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers Chagas disease to be one of the five neglected parasitic infections (NPIs).
The disease has asymptomatic characteristics, so most people are unaware they live with it. The disease, transmitted by the “kissing bug”, can cause cardiac abnormalities and intestinal complications, according to Pulse Headlines.
Chagas disease is also known as American trypanosomiasis and affects around 6 to 7 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It is produced by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. Cruzi). Latin American countries are the most affected by it, but it has extended to other latitudes.
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T. Cruzi, also called the “kissing bug”, has a preference of biting people on their lips and eyes while they sleep. After it bites, it defecates or urinates into the wound. This way, the parasite enters the body and causes Chagas disease. It can still be transmitted via food that has been contaminated with the faeces of the bug.
Only half of the infected people show symptoms during its initial stage, that is the first two months since infection. When symptoms do appear, they are rather mild and include headaches, pallor, muscle pain and chest pain. In the chronic phase, the parasites mostly stay in the heart and digestive muscles, slowly affecting the body and occasionally leading to death.
“Most people who get infected, carry on with their lives … unaware they were bitten. A lot of mortality data doesn’t account for Chagas, so you underestimate the effect of the disease,” explained Dr. Ester Cerdeira Sabino, a co-leader in the study.
Right now, there’s no cure for the Chagas disease. WHO reports that 30% of the people infected develop heart problems, while 10% present neurological or digestive symptoms. Experts advise people to avoid contact with the kissing bugs, which tend to live in the walls or roof cracks of houses constructed with poor materials. Specialists are currently working on a vaccine.
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