Chagas Disease, Transmitted by ‘Kissing Bugs,’ is Now Considered Endemic in the US: UCLA

There are an estimated 300,000-plus Americans infected with these parasites, with 45,000 in Los Angeles alone.

A Triatomine bug, also known as the kissing bug, which is the vector of Trypanosoma cruzi. CDC

Chagas disease, an illness transmitted by “kissing bugs,” is now considered endemic in the United States, the University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA) said in a Sept. 2 post, citing a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kissing bugs—also known as conenose or barber bugs—transmit the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi to humans, which causes Chagas disease.