Chagas disease is a virus that is a bigger threat in Latin America than HIV/AIDS. It infects about 18 million people a year and kills somewhere around 20,000. The scary thing is that it is not well known about here in the US (or for that matter outside of Latin America) but because of traveling and/or relocation, this is becoming more of a threat in the EU and US. It is a blood born virus and we do not screen for it with blood transfusions as we do Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, and other viruses, so you may be at a higher risk than you are aware of!
What is Chagas Disease?
It is an inflammatory disease caused by a parasite that lives in the feces of a kissing bug (reduviid bug) and it is most common in South America, Central America, and Mexico. The kissing bug, acts just like a mosquito, and it bites to get to blood, and once it is done feeding, it poops, and the parasites in the poop, then have a direct link to the blood. It is usually diagnosed in children but it can be pretty detrimental if found later in life as it causes some severe cardiac damage and damage to the intestines. The goal is to catch the parasite while it is active a replicating, to kill it off and present any further damage. Initial symptoms include:
-Swelling at the site of infection
-Fever
-Fatigue
-Rash
-Bodyaches
-Headaches
-Swollen glands
-Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite
-Enlargement of your liver or spleen (some stomach tenderness)
-Chronic infection can cause: congestive heart failure, irregular heartbeat, constipation (from an enlarged colon), and sudden cardiac arrest.
How can I get it?
Well there are quite a few ways other than being bitten by a kissing bug that you can get infected with the parasite: eating food contaminated with the parasite or bug poop, being born from an infected mother, getting a blood transfusion or an organ transplant that are infected, from blood exposures of an infected person, or from an infected animal. It is diagnosed by taking a blood sample, but your HCP will also want to check an electrocardiogram (a picture of your heart), possibly an x-ray of your abdomen, and an EGD (upper endoscopy- where a scope is sent into your upper gastric area to visualize any damage).
How do you treat it?
As I said earlier, the plan is to treat and kill the active parasite while it is replicating with drugs such as benznidiazole and nifurtimox, which are readily available in Central & South America and Mexico, but are only available directly from the CDC (Center for disease control) in the US, so that the parasite can be tracked. Once the disease gets to a chronic stage, you can only treat the symptoms, unfortunately, you cannot undo them.
How do I prevent it?
When traveling to the areas with the highest rates of Chagas disease, use pesticides to prevent bug bites, especially if camping or staying outdoors, and avoid sleeping in adobe houses (mud thatched huts and adobe houses tend to have higher rates of chagas disease). Really the best prevention is to be aware of the risk, and do your best to prevent bug bites by using bug sprays, bug meeting over beds, and know the symptoms, so if you think you have been bitten, get seen by an HCP for treatment as soon as possible!
So hopefully you are prepared on your next visit to Central or South America, or Mexico and have lots of bug spray! Plus, if are concerned about your risk after an organ transplant or recent blood transfusion, talk to your HCP about your risk, as this is not something we normally screen for in this part of the world. It is better to be safe than sorry!
Yours in Good Health
B
