News agencies are awash with the latest announcement from the Center for Disease Control: kissing bugs have been found in Georgia. However, this news is not all that new. The Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose (commonly and erroneously referred to as a “kissing bug”) has already had reported sightings all over the United States. This little insect is different from its South American variety in that it is less aggressive and less widespread. Better building quality, widespread use of commercial-grade pesticides, and cold winters make North America not as hospitable to these parasites. Nonetheless, the Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose is a deadly critter that 1) sucks human blood 2) carries the lethal Chagas disease, and 3) can fly; and Americans thought that spiders were creepy. These little bugs even look dangerous— shaped rather like a stinkbug, they are black with red markings and long, well-developed mandibles for their nocturnal, blood sucking activities. But their bite is not the carrier of the Chagas disease. That is a characteristic of their feces. The bug often bites the face of its victim, the victim rubs his face, and microscopic fecal matter gets into a mucous membrane— the eyes, mouth, an open wound, etc. The disease takes root. Symptoms of Chagas include: fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, mild enlargement of the liver or spleen, swollen glands and localized swelling. The most recognizable symptom is swelling of the eyelid (the fecal matter most often enters into the body by being rubbed into the eye, and this swelling is a result of the introduction of the disease into the body). Later phases of the disease include swelling in the heart or brain. In the last stages of the disease, cardiac symptoms can be what claims the life of the victim. An enlarged heart, heart failure, arrhythmia or cardiac arrest can result from the disease. Some sources estimate that up to 18 million people are infected with the Chagas disease every year and may not even know it. This is because the disease can stay dormant in the body for years before the person develops symptoms. But before you go to the doctor to be checked for Chagas, know that cases of disease in the U.S. are incredibly rare. Experts at Texas A&M University have been studying the insect for years and estimate that only one case of Chagas occurs for every 900-4,000 Conenose bites. And you’d have to be bitten to even have that one in 4,000 chance of contracting the disease. Local Extension Agents remain unimpressed. Neither the Madison or Jefferson County Extension Agents had much to say about the bugs. Historically speaking, the bugs— and the disease they carry— have been our neighbors for hundreds of years. The earliest reports date back to the 1800s, and reports of the bugs in the U.S. date to the 1940’s. Their journey across the U.S. has been slow as conditions are poor for these heat-loving bugs and food sources are protected by sturdily built homes and the widespread use of pesticides. The bug and the disease are much more common in Central and South America because of the year-round warm weather that is more hospitable to the bugs and the widespread use of thatched roofs and other substandard building practices. Poor countries such as these also have less in the way of medicine, as anyone who has attended a mission trip can tell you. If you still feel you must prepare for the coming invasion of “Kissing Bugs,” here are a few tips from the Center for Disease Control. (If you do not feel the need to prepare for these insects, but like an insect-free home, the following are still good tips): Seal cracks and gaps around windows, walls, roofs and doors. Remove wood, brush and rock piles near your house. Use screens on doors and windows and repair any holes or tears. Seal holes and cracks leading to the attic, crawl spaces below the house, and to the outside. Have pets sleep indoors, especially at night. Keep your house and any outdoor pet resting areas clean, in addition to periodically checking both areas for the presence of bugs.
Are deadly Kissing Bugs invading?
Share this: