Chagas Disease
By: Selena Wisner
What is Chagas disease?
Chagas disease was a very big problem in out society. If infected you could either damage really badly, or ruin most of your organs. It would cause organs to inflate and wouldn't stop inflating until you could get something to stop it or it could end in a tragedy.
How is chagas transmitted and butt
Chagas is transmitted and caused by the parasite, Trypanosomiasis Cruzi which is a lot of the time is naturally in the Triatomine bug. Another way is if you go into the woods in certain climates you could get a parasite or a triatomine bug on you and get infected. The trypanosomiasis cruzi gets inside your body by entering through a cut, a scratch, a wound, or a natural opening in the human body. if you get bit and start scratching the area it will help the parasite get stronger and deadlier.if a mother has chagas disease there's a chance of her baby having chagas. Rarely, but sometimes there has been cases of a person with chagas who has been bit by a Vinchucas bug.
How can I keep from getting it?
To prevent getting Chagas Disease for the most part stay away from forest type areas in Latin and South America. If you do go near warm climates make sure you have insecticides and insect repellent. Avoid sleeping in a mud, thatch, or Adobe house. If you must sleep in one use insect netting. If you feel at serious risk for Chagas you can try to get a vaccine
Is there a vaccine?
Benznidazole and nifurtimox may help, cure, or end Chagas disease but there is no actual perfected medication. If you eventually reach the chronic phase of Chagas-- 10 to 15 years after being infected, medicine won't cure it, but may help complications and slow the disease if you are under 50 years of age.
The medication focuses on killing the parasite and managing signs and symptoms but does not always help.You usually can only get benznidazole and nifurtimox in places where chagas once was common.
The medication focuses on killing the parasite and managing signs and symptoms but does not always help.You usually can only get benznidazole and nifurtimox in places where chagas once was common.
Symtoms
- swelling around a bug bite (from a triatomine bug)
- high fever
- fatigue
- rash
- high pain body aches
- swelling eyelid
- headache
- loss of appitite
- nausea
- diarrhea
- vommiting
Where is it found?
Chagas is found in rural areas of Central America, South America, and Mexico.
There has only been one case in the USA and that was in Texas a very long time ago.
Trypanosomiasis cruzi and Triatomine bugs can only survive in very warm climates-- this explains why there has only been cases in very hot places! Because they can only survive in warm climates, we luckily have never had a case of Chagas in Iowa or anywhere around it.
What organs does it affect
- Heart
- esophagus
- colon
- skin
- tissues
- nerves
- eye (s)
- face
If i find out that I have chagas what kind of treatment would I get?
If you found out that you have Chagas, you would get many tests. You would have an electrocrdiogram to record the activity of your heart, X-rays of your organs and body to see if your organs enlarged, and an echocardiogram so the doctor can see changes of sound waves and movement of the heart.
Similar disease
A similar disease is called Trypanosomiasis. The reason these are similar is because they can both be caused by the same bug and have some of the same effects.
Is it deadly?
Chagas can be very deadly if you don't treat it right.
Is Chagas still an active disease today?
The last known human case of chagas disease was in the early 1980's. Unfortunatly theres always a few cases every year in domestic dogs, and a lot of cases in wild animals. It seems Chagas disease is coming to an end, together we can end Chagas!