LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A parasitic infection called Chagas disease from so-called "kissing bugs" has made its way to California -- and it's causing some concern.

The infection can spread in several ways, mainly through those bugs, and it can cause chronic problems and even death.

The bugs that can transmit Chagas disease are now firmly entrenched in Southern California.

A heart attack or stroke may be the first time you learn you have this fairly rare parasitic infection that often goes undiagnosed and untreated.

In the wooded areas of Griffith Park live tiny insects that could harbor a dangerous parasite. These bugs often attack the face.

"I think if something bit me in the cheek, I would know," said Lisa Gibbons of Los Feliz.

But most who get bit don't know they're infected. Peop

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