To protect yourself from Chagas disease, prevent kissing bug bites by staying in well-built housing, using insecticide-treated bed nets, and applying insect repellent, especially in endemic Latin American areas; also avoid contaminated foods like unpasteurized juices and raw foods, as there's no vaccine, but vector control and improved housing significantly reduce transmission.
Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It usually spreads through contact with infected triatomine ("kissing") bugs. There are no drugs or vaccines to prevent Chagas disease. The best way to prevent Chagas disease is to prevent or limit contact with the kissing bug.
Despite many studies, there is still no vaccines for Chagas Disease (CD), which affects approximately 7 million people mainly in Latin America.
Chagas disease doesn't spread from being near an infected person. But the infection can come from: Eating uncooked food that has feces from bugs infected with the parasite. Being born to a person who is infected with the parasite.
It is best to prevent bugs from getting into your house:
We tested over 1500 kissing bugs, and we found 54% were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Infection prevalence varied by kissing bug species. We also determined the T. cruzi strain types in infected bugs: we found TcI and TcIV.
Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA's helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs. Always follow product instructions.
A small number of people die from acute Chagas disease. On the other hand, a small number clear the infection without symptoms or treatment. But most people who aren't treated develop a chronic infection. Many can live for decades with a chronic infection without having complications.
Malaria Parasite (Plasmodium)
Not only a killer parasite, but one of the world's biggest killers, the malaria parasite is responsible for around 600,000 deaths a year.
During the acute phase, some people experience symptoms like fever, tiredness, body aches, headache, rash, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or vomiting. Some people do not notice any symptoms during the acute phase. This can make it difficult to diagnose for Chagas disease.
Knowing if you have parasites involves recognizing symptoms like digestive issues (diarrhea, bloating, pain), unexplained weight loss, fatigue, skin rashes, or muscle aches, but often infections are subtle or asymptomatic, so a doctor's diagnosis through stool samples or blood tests is crucial for confirmation, especially if you have persistent symptoms like fever, extreme fatigue, or blood in your stool.
Between 1 January and 22 March 2025, a total of 5,517 cases of Zika virus disease have been reported. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on Zika.
Our findings suggest that the common bed bug may be a competent vector of T. cruzi and could pose a risk for vector-borne transmission of Chagas disease.
Key points to reduce insect and tick bites:
How is a worm infection treated? The treatment for threadworms is worming tablets, which are available from the pharmacy. The whole household should be treated at the same time, even if they have no symptoms. When taking the medicine, you should also ensure you follow strict hygiene practices to prevent reinfestation.
Insecticide applications on the outside property can help keep kissing bugs from entering the home. Your local pest control professional can select the appropriate insecticides according to the situation. Your Pro may also remove any animal nesting sites that may attract these bugs.
Chagas disease is often called a silent killer because many people don't realize they have it until complications from the infection kill them.
Guinea worm disease (GWD) is caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis. A parasite is an organism (a living thing) that lives on or inside another organism. The disease affects communities in remote parts of Africa that do not have safe water to drink. There is no treatment nor a vaccine for Guinea worm disease.
A trio of soil-transmitted helminths—intestinal roundworms (Ascaris lumbricoides), whipworms (Trichuris trichiura), and hookworms (Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale, and Ancylostoma ceylanicum)―are dubbed the “unholy trinity.” Those helminths infect humans via ingestion of food or water contaminated with soil ...
About 8 million people globally, including an estimated 280,000 in the United States, have this disease, often without knowing it. Without treatment, it can be life-threatening. Movement of people living with Chagas disease from rural areas to cities and other countries has changed where we find Chagas disease.
People who live near undeveloped, natural areas may occasionally encounter kissing bugs in or around their homes at night. These insects are not known to infest homes and not every kissing bug is infected with Chagas parasites.
Chagas disease is curable if antiparasitic treatment is initiated early, in the acute phase. In chronic infection, the treatment and follow up can potentially prevent or curb disease progression and prevent transmission, for instance, during pregnancy and birth.
Boogie® Insect Repellent Lotion effectively repels mosquitoes and ticks for up to 14 hours. It contains 20% picaridin, is odorless and has a non-greasy feel that moisturizes skin.
There is simply no evidence taking vitamin B will offer any significant protection from mosquito bites. In reality, if there was even moderate scientific evidence that taking a vitamin supplement could prevent mosquito bites, our supermarket shelves would be full of “mosquito repellent pills”.
Bug Bites While Sleeping
There are three likely sources for bug bites at night — spiders, mosquitos or bed bugs. Spiders and mosquitos usually find their way into your home — and into your bedroom — during the warmer months. “Honestly, many mosquito and spider bites look similar.