Sunday, June 3, 2012

Beware: 'Kissing' bug spreading deadly disease called 'The New AIDS'

The deadly disease AIDS has already created a scare the world over since no authentic and permanent antidote has so far been found to cure the disease, that perhaps it was not enough. Now a new disease called the 'The New AIDS' has surfaced which has already affected 300,000 people in the United States and over 8 million the world wide.

Triatomine beetle
As reported by the Business Insider in its recent post quoting a lengthy editorial in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Chagas disease is slowly — and surreptitiously — spreading to the U.S. from Latin America. It was once largely limited to Latin America, but now the illness is spreading north because of travel and immigration. 

Chagas is caused by a black wingless beetle called theTriatoma bug, which feeds on human blood and releases a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi. The tiny 0.78 inch (20 mm) insect typically feeds near the lips of sleepers, earning the nickname "kissing bug." When the beetle is done feeding, it defecates, "pooping out copies of the parasite," says Maryn McKenna at Wired. A sleeping person scratches the itch and unknowingly smears the feces into the wound. "Voila, Chagas infection." 


Read more about the disease / symptoms: Business Insider

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