Chagas disease -- a potentially serious illness spread by an insect called the "kissing bug" -- may be establishing itself in the United States, according to a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
The disease is common in 21 countries in the Americas, but growing evidence suggests it may also be becoming endemic in the U.S.
"Autochthonous (or, locally acquired) human cases have been reported in eight states, most notably in Texas. Labeling the United States as non-Chagas disease-endemic perpetuates low awareness and underreporting," the authors wrote in the CDC's journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The triatomine insect -- often called the "kissing bug" -- has now been reported in 32 states, according to CBS News.
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