WASHINGTON — A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is raising awareness that the potentially deadly condition Chagas disease, previously considered a primary concern for Latin America, may be becoming endemic in the United States.

The disease is spread by insects called triatomine, but are better known by their nickname: the "kissing bug."

The report, originally published last month for the September issue of the CDC's Emerging Infectious diseases journal, notes that Chagas disease is considered endemic to 21 countries in the Americas, and there's growing evidence it should be labeled endemic in the U.S. too.

While Chagas disease is mainly found in rural areas of Mexico, Central America and South America, the "kissing bugs" that cause the disease have been

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