The Kissing Bug

Growing up in a New Jersey factory town in the 1980s, Daisy Hernández believed that her aunt had become deathly ill from eating an apple. No one in her family, in either the United States or Colombia, spoke of infectious diseases. Even into her thirties, she only knew that her aunt had died of Chagas, a rare and devastating illness that affects the heart and digestive system. But as Hernández dug deeper, she discovered that Chagas—or the kissing bug disease—is more prevalent in the United States than the Zika virus. After her aunt’s death, Hernández began searching for answers. Crisscrossing the country, she interviewed patients, doctors, epidemiologists, and even veterinarians with the Department of Defense. She learned that in the United States more than three hundred thousand people in the Latinx community have Chagas, and that outside of Latin America, this is the only country with the native insects—the “kissing bugs”—that carry the Chagas parasite. Through unsparing, gripping, and humane portraits, Hernández chronicles a story vast in scope and urgent in its implications, exposing how poverty, racism, and public policies have conspired to keep this disease hidden. A riveting and nuanced investigation into racial politics and for-profit healthcare in the United States, The Kissing Bug reveals the intimate history of a marginalized disease and connects us to the lives at the center of it all.

Chagas disease causes severe socioeconomic impact and a high medical cost in Latin America. WHO and the World Bank consider Chagas disease as the fourth most transmittable disease to have a major impact on public health in Latin America: 120 million persons are potentially exposed, 16 to 18 million of whom are presently infected, causing 45,000 to 50,000 deaths per year. It has been calculated that approximately 2.4 million potential working years are lost because of incapacity and mortality due to the disease, for an annual cost estimated at 20 billion Euros. American Trypanosomiasis provides a comprehensive overview of Chagas disease and discusses the latest discoveries concerning the three elements that compose the transmission chain of the disease: The host: human and mammalian reservoirs The insect vectors: domestic and sylvatic vectors The causative parasite: Trypanosoma cruzi Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field Contributions from leading authorities and industry experts

This book aims to present updated knowledge on various aspects of the natural history, biology, and impact of triatomines to all interested readers. Each chapter will be written by authorities in the respective field, covering topics such as behavior, neurophysiology, immunology, ecology, and evolution. The contents will consider scientific, as well as innovative perspectives, on the problems related to the role of triatomine bugs as parasite vectors affecting millions in the Latin American region.

This book provides a comprehensive resource on various aspects of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and the neglected tropical disease Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis), the disorder resulting from infection with the parasite. Topics include the biological description and taxonomy of the parasite, epidemiology and transmission routes, laboratory techniques in use when working with the parasite, as well as diagnostic measures and treatment of Chagas disease. Furthermore, a chapter with life stories of people in contact with the disease in endemic as well as non-endemic countries is included. The book is therefore a valuable source for individuals engaged in basic research as well as patient care and health management related to American trypanosomiasis.

In Chagas Disease: History of a Continent's Scourge, Francois Delaporte describes how the interaction of public health policy with medical knowledge and epistemological transformations in the period 1900-1935 can account for the discovery of a continental endemic. It also deconstructs the myths that surround a number of major medical discoveries in both Brazil and Argentina.

This title critically reviews old and new literature, help to create greater awareness of the disease in the US and helps in the evaluation of certain epidemiological and public health issues. During the first half of the 20th century, Chagas disease was assumed to be absent from the U.S. and considered an exotic disease, until the first two indigenous cases were discovered, almost simultaneously, in Texas, 1955. Since that time four indigenous cases have been documented in several places in the country. Although the disease is still considered uncommon in the US, this disease is not longer an exclusive Latin American illness. Physicians in the US are often unaware of the characteristics of the diseases, and are likely overlooking locally acquired cases. The influx of an estimated 300,000 Latin American immigrants with the Chagas parasite means that there is an urgent need for physicians and public health officials to become aware. Helps to create greater awareness of Chagas disease in the USA Helps to evaluate epidemiological and public health issues Facilitates accurate and necessary future public health interventions

This report of a WHO Expert Committee reviews current knowledge of Chagas disease and its pathogenesis discusses the causative parasite the triatomine vectors and the natural reservoirs of infection and considers the epidemiology and incidence trends of the disease. Prevention and control strategies are described as are the various formal initiatives for interruption of disease transmission. The report concludes by identifying priorities for research and offering guidance for the planning implementation and strengthening of national control programmes. ... this book makes an extremely valuable contribution toward understanding Chagas disease and promoting solid prevention and control efforts. It will no doubt be an important addition to the library of anyone student and expert alike with interests in Chagas disease. The authors are to be congratulated on the completion of a work of excellence - an extremely difficult endeavour at a time when our knowledge of vectors parasites and methodologies is expanding so rapidly. - Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Chagas' disease has become one of the major public-health problems in Latin America. Current estimates are that sixteen to eighteen million people are infected. It is caused by a flagellate protozoan whose vector is the triatomine or vinchuca bug, locally referred to as the "kissing bug" because of its tendency to lodge on victims' faces during sleep. Although there is no cure for the chronic stage, the disease vectors can be controlled and possibly eliminated through improved hygiene and living conditions. No longer exclusive to Latin America, Chagas' disease is spreading to North America with the migration of infected bugs, hosts, transfusions, transplant organs, and changes in climate. The Kiss of Death is a thorough study of Chagas' disease with analysis of research involving epidemiology, entomology, parasitology, pathology, and immunology.