Bug Related to Deadly Disease Confirmed to be in Delaware - WBOC TV 16

(Photo: CDC)

WILMINGTON, Del. (WBOC/AP)- An insect that can pass along a deadly disease and is nicknamed for biting people around their mouths has officially been spotted in Delaware.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week confirmed arrival of Triatoma sanguisuga, otherwise known as the "kissing bug."

The CDC says the bug has been making its way north from South and Central America. It has already been spotted in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The bloodsucking bugs' bite is often painless, but it can spread Chagas as their infected feces flows through the open wound. Chagas disease can cause serious cardiac and gastrointestinal complications. The CDC estimates that approximately 300,000 persons with Chagas disease live in the U.S.

According to the CDC, a family from Kent County, Del. contacted local health authorities in July 2018 after an insect had bitten their child’s face while she was watching television during the late evening hours.

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