Chagas disease: what is it, how dangerous is it, how do you get it, and should you vaccinate?

What is Chagas disease?

• Chagas is a parasitic infectious disease that you can contract through a bite from curtain assassin bug species.
• This assassin bug generally bites you on the face during the night, giving it the nickname 'kissing bug'. Through this bite, you can become infected with a single-celled parasite that causes Chagas disease. Infection does not occur directly through the bite, but mainly because you scratch the wound; in this way, you scratch the parasite into the wound.
• Drinking cold beverages contaminated with the parasite (because assassin bug fluids or feces have gotten into them) is another source of infection.
• The chance of infection is still rare, but the consequences are serious if you do not seek treatment at an early stage.
• Chagas is also known as American sleeping sickness.

What are the symptoms of Chagas?

• The first few weeks of the infection are the so-called acute phase. During this time, you have no symptoms or only very mild flu-like symptoms. These can consist of fever, body aches, skin rash, and swollen glands. These symptoms are a reaction to the high number of parasites circulating in the blood.
• The symptoms improve later as the number of parasites in your bloodstream decreases. Sometimes the disease disappears completely, but it can also be the beginning of the chronic phase. The parasite is still in the body and can start causing real problems years later. Symptoms from the chronic phase can appear up to 20 years after the bite, particularly various heart complaints, such as heart failure and palpitations.
• The bite of the assassin bug is not noticeable. It looks like any other insect bite, except that there is usually a cluster of bites in one spot. If you have a Chagas infection, a small hard spot may form at the site of the bite 1 or 2 weeks after the bite. These look red and swollen. Swelling of the upper and lower eyelids can also occur.
• Whether Chagas disease is present is determined via a blood test.

What to do to prevent Chagas disease while traveling and abroad?

• There is no vaccine available against Chagas.
• Preventing the bite of the assassin bug or indirect infection is therefore central.
• Use insect repellents containing DEET, a mosquito net, and insect-repellent clothing in areas where the assassin bug is present, especially in the evening and at night.
• Avoid raw food and heat your food as thoroughly as possible. Good kitchen hygiene greatly reduces the chance of bug feces in your food.

What to do if you have contracted Chagas abroad?

• You can be treated with antiparasitic medication in both the acute, initial phase of the disease and the chronic phase. In the chronic phase, complete recovery is often not possible.
• In the case of vague fatigue and heart complaints years after a visit to Latin America, mentioning Chagas might put your doctor on a new track.
• In the event of permanent heart damage following infection, heart medication is permanently necessary.

Where do you encounter Chagas disease abroad?

• Chagas occurs primarily in large parts of Latin America and the south of North America.
• Particularly when staying outdoors or sleeping in primitive conditions, you may share your sleeping place with these kissing bugs.