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(GRAY NEWS) – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn of a blood-sucking insect that can spread a potentially life-threatening disease.
Insects, known as triatomines, attack humans by biting them in the face and defecating them.
Triatomine sanguisuga, sometimes called "kissing bugs", attacks humans by biting them in the face.
The sting is often painless, but the insect can spread Chagas disease into its feces, the CDC said. The disease can progress to heart disease, including heart failure, stroke or life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, according to a 2018 statement from the American Heart Association.
According to the AHA, more than 300,000 people have been infected with the disease in the United States.
According to some sources, these insects spread north.
On April 19, the CDC said in a statement that a Delaware child had been bitten in the face while watching television in his room. The girl did not get sick.
The discovery was the first confirmed case of Triatoma sanguisuga in Delaware.
The most common symptom of insect bites is swelling, according to the CDC. But most bitten people do not show any sign.
Insects are primarily active at night and feed on the blood of mammals, birds and reptiles, the CDC said. They live in a wide range of environmental media, usually near an animal on which the virus can feed, called the blood host.
The creatures are usually found in the southern United States, Central America and South America.
The CDC recommends placing outdoor lights away from houses, kennels and poultry houses and turning off the lights when they are not being used.
Also, do not touch or crush the insect, but instead place it in a container and fill it with fire-alcohol or freeze it.
Surfaces that come in contact with the insect should also be thoroughly cleaned.
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