The Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention has posted a reward for the capture of triatomine bugs, as it works to prevent an outbreak of CHAGAS DISEASE by identifying cases early. The triatomine bugs, also known as “kissing bugs” as they tend
The Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention has posted a reward for the capture of triatomine bugs, as it works to prevent an outbreak of CHAGAS DISEASE by identifying cases early.
The triatomine bugs, also known as “kissing bugs” as they tend to bite people’s faces, could carry the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi which can cause Chagas disease, a tropical parasitic disease that can be fatal, according to the article posted by the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Chagas’ disease, which has an incubation period of between 20 and 30 years, is “a new disease like AIDS“, the center said.
“The campaign is expected to offer early diagnosis and better treatment to patients in the coming months,” the center said in a statement published on its WeChat account.
Those who provide the center with triatomine bugs – dead or alive – will receive a reward of 8 Yuan ($1.20) per specimen, it said.
Chagas’ disease most often causes flu-like symptoms like fever, facial swelling, body aches and vomiting. However, 20-30 percent of those infected with the disease can contract chronic conditions, including inflammation of the heart, enlargement of the esophagus and colon, blood clotting and even sudden death. It can lie dormant in a human body for decades.
An official from the center said no Chagas’ disease cases have been reported in Guangzhou so far, but the city is a place for investigating the Chagas’ disease in Guangdong province.
The triatomine bug mainly sucks blood from victims’ faces and often defecates in the wound, especially around the eyes and lips where the skin is thinner, the center said in its statement. An adult bug is usually about 2.5 centimeters long.
The center said in the July 8th article that Chagas disease is also referred to by scholars as a “new type of AIDS” due to its mortality risk, but emphasized that while AIDS is mainly sexually transmitted, Chagas disease spreads through virus borne kissing bugs. Both diseases can transmit through blood and from the mother to an unborn baby.
The bug is a carrier of the disease, which claims thousands of lives each year in Central and South America. With increasing globalization, cases of the disease have been reported in North America, Europe, Oceania and Japan in recent years, the statement said.
“Chagas’ disease might break out in the city if many bugs are present, so it is important to find the bugs and identify victims early to help control infection rates,” it said.
“Currently there is no vaccine to prevent Chagas’ disease, and there are no specific medicines effective to cure the disease when it reaches a late stage,” the statement said.
Triatomine bugs mainly live in cracks in walls and stones, but have also been found in forests, fields, animal pens and chicken coops. The bugs usually emerge at night to feed.
Prevention:
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Bugs mainly live in cracks in walls and stones, so stay away from these places.
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Bugs usually emerge at night to feed. It is better to have a mosquitoes net.
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People who capture the bugs are urged to put them in sealed bottles before taking them to a CDC office in the city.
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Wear long shirts when you are doing outdoor activities.
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Last but not the least, get the reward, dead or alive – you will receive a reward of 8 Yuan ($1.20) per specimen.
