A study is asking the Centers for Disease Control to declare Chagas disease, also known as " kissing bug " disease, an endemic after cases have been reported in eight different states.

Since 2013, "kissing bugs" have been reported in 31 states. In eight of these states, humans were reported to have locally-contracted Chagas disease, according to the study, which was published in September on the CDC's website and in PubMed .

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, according to the CDC. It is an endemic in 21 other countries in the Americas, excluding the U.S., and is most common in rural areas of Mexico, Central America and South America.

Trypanosoma cruzi is carried by triatomine bugs, also known as "kissing bugs," which feed on the blood of humans and ani

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