Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Health and Wellness
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Closed Thread Start New Thread
 
Old 08-19-2021, 04:31 PM
 
2,916 posts, read 1,493,660 times
Reputation: 3112

Advertisements

I have seen these bugs before... 1 somewhat recently, actually... But damn, I had no idea this was a thing with those bugs...

Just thought I'd pass this story on so others could find out about this, in case you had never heard of it either...

Deadly ‘kissing bug’ that kills thousands needs to be taken seriously now


Quote:
While health experts often warn of mosquitoes and other disease-carrying bugs, the deadly kissing bug — a k a the triatomine bug, which kills 10,000 people per year globally — continues to be overlooked in the U.S., as it disproportionately affects poor Hispanic communities. That alarming disparity is the subject of the new book "The Kissing Bug: A True Story of a Family, an Insect, and a Nation’s Neglect of a Deadly Disease."
Quote:
In addition, many victims aren’t even aware they’ve contracted Chagas, as they don’t exhibit any symptoms. Or if they do, they often entail "fever, fatigue, enlarged lymph nodes" and other "flu-like" symptoms that will dissipate quickly, providing no indication that the parasite is still coursing through their system, according to Beatty.

When it finally manifests, the effects are usually cataclysmic, with 20% to 30% of patients experiencing cardiac and gastrointestinal complications — as was the case with Hernández’s aunt.

https://www.foxnews.com/science/kiss...ills-thousands

 
Old 08-19-2021, 05:35 PM
 
Location: San Diego, California
1,147 posts, read 837,900 times
Reputation: 3502
The issue has been addressed in the blood bank population where it is advised that donors be tested at least once in there lifetime in terms of doing a serological test in order to maintain the blood safety. It is not a huge problem with that regard at present as transmission rate via blood transfusion is extremely rare.

The parasite is very distinctive under the microscope. I have tried like crazy to find one in patients and never did all of these years. Granted it isn't always present in blood with its affinity to the heart.

We are tested semi-quarterly through out the year as professionals and must pass the test in order to keep working in the field. The proficiency organizations that sent out samples and slides to us as mandated by law is to assure competency. They have sent blind samples containing many different parasites that we may never see here but that parasite T cruzi is often one that is sent.

We are ready from our part. It's up to the clinicians to be alerted.

Clinicians need to be prepared to evaluate patients in the latino community with regards to parasites like Chagas Disease and the other big one is cysticercosis in the brain.
 
Old 08-19-2021, 06:53 PM
 
2,916 posts, read 1,493,660 times
Reputation: 3112
Thanks for the post. Very interesting!
 
Old 08-19-2021, 07:45 PM
 
30,157 posts, read 20,881,966 times
Reputation: 11802
Guess i won't kiss it.
 
Old 08-20-2021, 05:08 AM
 
Location: NJ
23,790 posts, read 33,254,238 times
Reputation: 30591
Quote:
Originally Posted by MisterShipWreck View Post
I have seen these bugs before... 1 somewhat recently, actually... But damn, I had no idea this was a thing with those bugs...

Just thought I'd pass this story on so others could find out about this, in case you had never heard of it either...

Deadly ‘kissing bug’ that kills thousands needs to be taken seriously now







https://www.foxnews.com/science/kiss...ills-thousands

I can't believe the article didn't have a photo of one so I did a google search for Triatomine bugs

Three weeks ago, I was pulling grass out of one of my gardens, something bit me three or four times on my left middle finger and thumb. It looked similar to this kissing bug but I didn't get a good look at it.

About thirty minutes later, I ended up finding a dead yellow jacket inside my house, near my garage door that I use to go in and out. I could have swore it wasn't a yellow jacket that bit me but now I'm not so sure because it happened so fast.

I've been bitten many times in my 50+ years of being alive. I've never had a bite like this, even from a weird bug a few years ago that flew in my window while I was in the Walgreens drive through.

With this bite, my hand blew up, it was red, burning and throbbing. At some point, a stinger worked it's way out. For the next almost two weeks, I had some really weird symptoms once the burning stopped. I ended up having all sorts of little marks like I had been stung about twenty times. A few days later, the bones in my fingers were a burning itch that I tried not to scratch. It eventually died down but my fingers still itch every now and then.
 
Old 08-20-2021, 06:12 AM
 
30,157 posts, read 20,881,966 times
Reputation: 11802
I never really see them in FL.
 
Old 08-21-2021, 08:12 AM
 
Location: Wonderland
67,666 posts, read 60,249,386 times
Reputation: 101006
Release the murder hornets!
 
Old 08-21-2021, 09:59 AM
 
5,617 posts, read 4,157,507 times
Reputation: 11418
Quote:
While health experts often warn of mosquitoes and other disease-carrying bugs, the deadly kissing bug — a k a the triatomine bug, which kills 10,000 people per year globally — continues to be overlooked in the U.S., as it disproportionately affects poor Hispanic communities.
They don't warn about Chagas because the risk of contracting it in the US is low. The species that carry it in the US don't defecate while feeding, and rubbing the feces into the bite wound or mucous membranes is how you contract it. Plus even poor immigrant families have housing that is usually much better than the substandard housing they may have had in their native country, and which fosters kissing bug populations.

The awareness that is needed is for any doctors treating immigrants.


Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon View Post
Release the murder hornets!

I know you just mean to be funny but with rampant fear and lack of understanding about insects and giant Asian hornets what is really needed is understanding and not sensationalizing or exaggerating the risk. People reading about Chagas are likely to go around smashing every insect that looks remotely like a kissing bug which will only perpetuate the problem.
 
Old 08-21-2021, 10:47 AM
 
Location: San Diego, California
1,147 posts, read 837,900 times
Reputation: 3502
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deserterer View Post
They don't warn about Chagas because the risk of contracting it in the US is low. The species that carry it in the US don't defecate while feeding, and rubbing the feces into the bite wound or mucous membranes is how you contract it. Plus even poor immigrant families have housing that is usually much better than the substandard housing they may have had in their native country, and which fosters kissing bug populations.

The awareness that is needed is for any doctors treating immigrants.


I know you just mean to be funny but with rampant fear and lack of understanding about insects and giant Asian hornets what is really needed is understanding and not sensationalizing or exaggerating the risk. People reading about Chagas are likely to go around smashing every insect that looks remotely like a kissing bug which will only perpetuate the problem.
Good catch on that.

Yes, That was my understanding concerning the feeding habits of most endogenous triatomas living in the US. Keep in mind though that there are many species of the genus triatoma. What I wasn't sure of is the global warming situations and the environmental migration shifts of species due to climate changes.
The other aspect to that is that Chagas disease does infect other small animals in the US such as pack rats and raccoons and others which makes it endemic in the US in that population. On rare occasion humans have come down with it out of the blue.

This MMWR from the CDC covers an alert to the public health sector about the possibility of locally acquired Chagas disease.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6907a4.htm
 
Old 08-21-2021, 03:16 PM
 
27,539 posts, read 15,953,090 times
Reputation: 18955
Quote:
overlooked in the U.S., as it disproportionately affects poor Hispanic communities. That alarming disparity is...*
Overlooked perhaps because it was hardly ever a problem in US. Look, new victims.

Last edited by saltine; 08-21-2021 at 03:42 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Closed Thread


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Health and Wellness
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top