These Bugs Could Be Everywhere! If You Ever Get Stung

The Silent Killer: Chagas Disease’s Hidden Threat

As a child in Bolivia, Emiliana Rodríguez saw a soccer player collapse and die during a nighttime game. She didn’t know then that the cause was Chagas disease, a deadly illness spread by night-active insects called kissing bugs. Now 42 and living in Barcelona, Rodríguez still battles what she calls “the monster.”

“The fear usually came at night. Sometimes I didn’t sleep,” Rodríguez said. She was diagnosed during pregnancy but, through treatment, protected her baby from infection.

A Neglected Global Crisis

Chagas disease infects 6–8 million people worldwide, killing around 12,000 each year—“more people in Latin America than any other parasite disease, including malaria,” according to The Guardian. Most people don’t even know they have it. The parasite, T. cruzi, enters the body through skin contact with bug feces, often during sleep.

In Mexico, 18-year-old Idalia learned she was infected while donating blood. “I had never heard of Chagas so I started to research it on the internet,” her mother, Elvira Hernández, said. “I was terrified… I didn’t know what to do or where to go.”

Lack of Awareness and Treatment

Chagas can cause serious heart and digestive problems decades after infection. Yet, only 10% of those infected are diagnosed, and treatments are outdated. “The people affected just don’t have the power to influence healthcare policy,” said Colin Forsyth of DNDi.

“Medical professionals don’t receive any training and mistake Chagas for other heart diseases,” Hernández added.

Fighting for Change

Progress is slow. “I can’t imagine that we’ll be remotely close [to eliminating it] by 2030,” said Dr. David Moore. But awareness is growing. Rodríguez now works to educate others in Spain. “I’m fed up with so much silence,” she says. “I want people to talk about Chagas, and to know about it.”