Dr. Norman Beatty has been all over the news!
Three articles were recently published featuring quotes from our resident kissing bug expert:
“Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.” ~ Susanne Rust
Chagas disease: The deadly disease you’ve never heard of is here – Los Angeles Times
“What to know about Chagas disease” ~ NBC Bay Area Staff
Researcher shares details on Chagas disease – NBC Bay Area
“Researchers urge for U.S. recognition of Chagas as endemic” ~ Adam Russell
Researchers urge for U.S. recognition of Chagas as endemic – AgriLife Today
Some Chagas facts listed in these articles:
- The illness is now in 32 states as well as the Caribbean and Latin America
- California has the largest number of people in the U.S. infected with Chagas disease — between 70,000 and 100,000.
- Many people do not know they are ill until they have a heart attack or stroke.
- It kills more people in Latin America than malaria each year, and researchers think roughly 300,000 people in the U.S. currently have it but are unaware
- At least four different species of kissing bug in California are known to carry the parasite
- Chagas disease also is prevalent in dogs that show similar clinical signs, heart failure, or arrhythmia
