Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose Kissing Bug (Triatoma sanguisuga) on a leaf in Houston, TX. Dangerous biting insect native to the USA, that carries Chagas disease. getty

Once considered an illness confined to Central and South America, Chagas disease is increasingly being recognized as an endemic condition within the United States. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published in September 2025 has called for official recognition of this infectious disease as endemic to the U.S. Currently, eight states have made Chagas disease a notifiable condition, yet the true prevalence remains unknown due to limited surveillance and testing.

Cause and Transmission

Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi

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