"California has more residents who have been infected with Chagas disease, which is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, than any other state, in part due to there being so many residents who come from countries where the disease is endemic, according to the report. A study by California’s Department of Health found that 31 of 40 human cases reported between 2013 and 2023 were acquired in other countries. Officials could not rule out local transmission for the remaining cases.
While the disease was once only found in more rural parts of Mexico and Central and South America, it is now present in at least 30 U.S. states."
Most people don’t find out they have Chagas until they try to donate blood because it sits dormant.
It can cause heart attacks, seizures, strokes.
Doctors are not required to report cases, so the known numbers are the tip of the iceberg.
Doctors and physicians are not required to report cases of the disease in California, as they would have to for other diseases such as influenza, Lyme and malaria, meaning cases are likely vastly underreported. Gabriel Hamer, an entomologist, told the Times that confirmed human cases in the U.S. represent “just the tip of the iceberg,” and that no one truly knows the true total.
“There’s no standardized reporting system. There’s no active surveillance,”☠️
Wait, wtf. The 3rd paragraph makes no sense and doesn’t elaborate. It makes it sound like the infection waits until you try to give blood and then strikes. ‘oh you want to help people? fuck you have a stroke right now’
People who don’t have insurance only get blood tests when something’s VERY wrong or they’re trying to “donate” (sell) plasma.
I’m a person who’s got very good insurance and had plenty of normal blood tests, but the only times my blood has been tested for Chagas are the many times I’ve donated blood, for which I received cookies, juice, movie tickets and once a UCLA blanket but never money. It’s also a question on the donation screening, “have you ever tested positive…” but I wasn’t aware of the testing until I read the article. If you didn’t have a noticeable reaction to the initial infection, you wouldn’t think to get tested for it.
Donated blood is tested for various diseases before it can be used. Many people will not know they have these diseases until their blood is tested specially for them, which often won’t happen until they donate blood.
Doctors are not required to report cases, so the known numbers are the tip of the iceberg.
At this point I don’t know if it would even matter if they did report cases since Trump, in his infinite wisdom, just wiped out the CDC.
Thoughts and prayers
what if we
ㅤㅤ 🐜
👉 👈
RIP
I’m going to start a YouTube channel where I go around kissing ants.
Ouch! All that noise about screw worms and they may were ignoring a really grave disease all that time.
All the luck for them, it’s an horrible one.
kissing bug sounds like a tiktok trend
