‘Kissing bug’ disease is here to stay in the US, experts say. Here’s why it’s spreading

Chagas largely spreads when triatomine bugs, commonly known as kissing bugs, bite a human while they’re sleeping. Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Chagas disease, a potentially deadly condition caused by a parasite carried by insects called kissing bugs, should now be considered endemic in the United States, experts say – and without recognition that it’s a constant presence in some parts of the country, more people will suffer unnecessarily.

A report on the topic was published last week in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, and the authors say they hope that growing global attention on the new paper means Chagas could finally get the surveillance, prevention and testing efforts and research funding it deserves in the United St