Dangerous 'Kissing' Bug Marches North in U.S.

[jpak]

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20190426/dangerous-kissing-bug-marches-north-in-us

April 26, 2019 -- The CDC's recent report about a “kissing bug” identified in Delaware for the first time has sparked concerns as the potentially deadly bug marches its way north from Latin America through the Carolinas and beyond. Kissing bugs carry a parasite that causes Chagas disease, which can lead to serious heart and stomach problems.

So are we in for a summer invasion of these bloodsucking insects that are far from romantic?

Probably not, says kissing bug expert Rachel Curtis-Robles, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher and epidemiologist at Texas A&M University in College Station. Kissing bugs are nothing new. Eleven different species of the bugs -- known as triatomine bugs -- are in the U.S., the CDC says. And 28 states have reported them, the Texas A&M research team says. The bugs are also typically found in Mexico, Central America, and South America.

It’s not the bug itself that causes the disease, but a parasite it may carry.

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[spanone]

1. 'It's not the bug itself that causes the disease, but a parasite it may carry'

well, that makes me feel better.

[still_one]

2. Exacatly

[malaise]

5. Surprised they didn't call it Caravan bugs

All I'll say is remember the ebola pre election scare

[bluedigger]

3. I think one tried to get me last night when I let my dog in.

Local paper had a story about them here. Could have just been a moth.

[in2herbs]

4. If these are the same as cone nose beetles or walapi tigers we've had them around here for decades.

Always appear during monsoon season. Blood suckers.

[Afromania]

6. Nature is beautiful, but stories like these is why I like concrete:-)

[Buns_of_Fire]

7. Recognizable by the teeny-tiny box of Tic Tacs it carries around.

When one sees a pretty girl, it just starts kissing. It doesn't even wait -- it just starts kissing.