Kissing Bugs Carry More Than Cooties
May 22, 2019
Don’t let the kissing bug’s innocent-sounding name fool you.
With human contact, kissing bugs have the potential to spread a dangerous disease called Chagas. The insects are usually found in Latin America, but are beginning to appear in the U.S.
In a recent interview with Stamford Advocate, Richard Watkins, M.D., a Northeast Ohio Medical University associate professor of internal medicine, explained, “About 20 to 30 percent of those infected can later develop problems related to Chagas.”