They’re just a small biting bug, that looks sort of like a brown stink bug. They’re called a kissing bug because they tend to target the lips and face, as they’re active at night and that’s typically what’s exposed when people are sleeping.
The bites themselves are relatively harmless unless you’re allergic to them. Most people would chalk them up to a popped zit or cold sore. Most people don’t even notice the bites when they happen, and will sleep right through them.
The problem is that they can transmit Chagas’ disease via their poop. Chagas’ disease presents with mild cold-like symptoms for most people, but can lead to heart failure in some… Which is probably the reason for the deaths being attributed to the bug.
Anybody else flatly refusing to learn more about kissing bugs? That name combined with the death toll gives me thorough heebie-jeebies.
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