Chagas Disease, Spread by Kissing Bugs, Now Endemic to the U.S.

American health officials are sounding the alarm about a previously obscure illness spread by blood-sucking insects called kissing bugs.

“Although there’s no need to panic, our report is raising awareness about an illness that’s been here for a long time and may be more prevalent than suspected,” says one of the authors, Sarah Hamer, PhD, a veterinary ecologist specializing in wildlife disease at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in College Station.