None of us wants to get a disease of any kind, and I think nobody wants to get a disease from something called a "kissing bug."
Alas, that increasingly looks to be a possibility in the United States, per Fox News:
A little-known disease is spreading in the U.S., primarily in the state of California, health officials warn.
In a new study published in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers state that human cases of Chagas disease have been confirmed in eight states, leading them to recommend that the disease is classified as 'endemic.'
Now, I don't know about you, but I see the phrase "Chagas disease" and I'm like:
But apparently it's pretty frightening. According to the Mayo Clinic, you can contract it via the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is found in the feces of the triatomine bug. The insects are also called "kissing bugs" because "they tend to bite people's faces."
The results of that bite can be, to put it mildly, not pleasant:
Regardless of whether or not the bug actually chomps on your face, the disease itself can be serious:
Chagas disease can cause a sudden, brief illness. This type of illness is known as acute. Or it can become a long-lasting, chronic condition. Both stages can be free of symptoms. Or there can be life-threatening symptoms in either phase.
The symptoms can include milder conditions such as fever or vomiting, along with more deadly outcomes such as cardiac arrest.
So why is it suddenly a concern in the United States? Well:
'Chagas disease ... is already endemic in South America and Central America, but it has now spread to the Southern U.S., where it is taking hold among insects and animals,' Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital.
Yet another side-effect of the border crisis, I'm sure.
The disease "is more likely to occur in states where the kissing bug is found close to where people live, which includes parts of California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana and Florida," Fox News reports. (Pretty sure you can figure out what most of these states have in common.)
Scientists are reportedly "just tipping the iceberg" on determining how prevalent locally-acquired infections are here. There is no vaccine for it, although there are two approved antiparasitic drugs that show some promise.
Meanwhile, homeowners can help prevent infestations of the bugs that carry the disease by removing wood piles or clutter from their property and ensuring doors and windows are properly sealed.
It's possible that sealing up the southern border would help, too.
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