According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published this week, more than 770 cases were recorded by early September, including about 490 severe cases. This is compared to about 550 cases, including 350 severe ones, usually recorded at this time of year, according to American media. Health authorities have intensified their warnings to the public, noting that most virus infections, which are transmitted through mosquito bites, are concentrated in August and September.
Authorities have urged citizens to take preventive measures, including wearing long clothes as much as possible and using insect repellent registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency when outdoors.
The disease “Chagas,” transmitted by an insect known as the triatomine bug, has raised increasing concern in the United States, where its spread has been monitored in 32 states. Estimates suggest that hundreds of thousands may be infected with the disease unknowingly, as data from UCLA Health indicate that more than 300,000 people in the United States, including about 45,000 in Los Angeles County alone, may be carriers of the parasite that causes the disease.
However, awareness of the infection remains extremely low, with less than 2% of those infected knowing their status. The bug transmits the parasite known as “Trypanosoma cruzi” through its bites, leaving its feces near the bite site, and when the skin is scratched, the parasite enters the bloodstream.
Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, and loss of appetite, with a distinctive sign of swollen eyelids. In advanced cases, the disease may cause serious complications such as enlargement of the heart, esophagus, or colon, and possibly heart failure.
