Vinchuca In The House | A Silent Killer

Chagas Disease is endemic throughout much of Mexico, Central America, and South America where an estimated > 8 to 11 million people are infected by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.

Infection occurs through vectorborne transmission via the feces of the triatomine insect (reduviid bug, kissing bug, assassin bug, and vincucha bug), which may be inadvertently inoculated into the skin or the mucosa of the eyes, nose, or mouth when the insect’s bite is scratched and rubbed.

The triatomine bug thrives under poor housing conditions (for example, mud walls, thatched roofs), so in endemic countries, people living in rural areas are at greatest risk for acquiring an infection. In rural Argentina, villagers speak of "muerte subita" or rapid death caused by Chagas.

But one Argentinian physician, Dr. Gustavo Farrugia, and his colleagues are trying to stop it.


Source: Al Jazeera: Witness

Neglected Infections Of Poverty

Neglected Infections of Poverty are parasitic, bacterial and viral infections that disproportionately affect impoverished people in the United States. According to the CDC, the NIPs are considered neglected because relatively little attention has been devoted to surveillance, prevention, and/or treatment of these infections.

I know that this video is a little dated, but since 2009 the poor in this country aren't any better off, and it does a great job of discussing the subject. In addition, many people are unaware that Kissing Bugs, a transmitter of Chagas disease, can also be found in southern Arizona.

Watch 'Neglected Infections' Resurface Among America's Poor on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.