An emerging, potentially deadly disease is spreading through the United States, particularly in the South.
Chagas disease is caused by parasites in triatomine insects, also known as “kissing bugs” because they tend to bite people in the face.
When kissing bugs bite, they pass the parasite in its feces. When the feces get into the bite wound, a cut, or the eye or mouth, it leads to infection, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
An increase in cases in both humans and animals has led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to declare the disease endemic to the U.S. for the first time.
Eight states – Texas, California, Arizona, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Arkansas – have reported cases in humans, according to the CDC.
Alabama has reported cases only in animals, according to the CDC.
Kissing bugs occur naturally in the southern half of the country and have been identified in 32 states, including Alabama
“We do have kissing bugs in Alabama, but we also have a lot of other bugs that look like kissing bugs. Although kissing bugs can be found in Alabama, there have been no cases of Chagas Disease reported to ADPH in 2025,” state health officials said in an emailed statement to AL.com.
Chagas is not a disease that’s required to be reported in Alabama and is not nationally notifiable either. But the Alabama public health agency said that if a physician suspects a patient has the disease, state officials can assist in coordinating tests and identifying the bug.
ADPH warned that Chagas can be a very serious disease, especially if not treated early, adding that chronic infection can lead to serious medical issues.
Along with a bite, Chagas can also be spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants, according to the health department.
There are no vaccines for the disease, but antiparasitic treatments are available, and early diagnosis and treatment can prevent chronic issues.
According to the CDC, about 8 million people globally and 280,000 in the United States have the disease, often without knowing it.
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