A life-threatening parasitic infection transmitted by ‘kissing bugs’ has spread to more than half of the states in the US.

Human cases of what is formally called Chagas disease have been reported in at least seven states, according to a study published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Emerging Infectious Diseases journal this month.

Beyond the human cases, numerous states have reported animal cases and the general presence of kissing bugs.

As a result, authors of the study are calling on the CDC and World Health Organisation to declare Chagas disease endemic in the US. What is Chagas disease?

Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi parasites, which are spread by infected triatomine insects, small black-and-brown creatures also known as kissing bugs. Their

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