The “Kissing Bug” Has Made It’s Way North To Illinois, Could Wisconsin and Minnesota Be Next?

According to ABC7 in Chicago the disgusting kissing bug has made it's way North to Illinois, who knows how far it can go from there? It is called the "Kissing Bug" because it crawls around your eyes and mouth when you sleep, but it is not it's bite you need to worry about it's the bugs feces!

Infectious Disease physician Tom Moore said, "Patients, when they are sleepy, the part where the insect has bitten them, they'll accidentally rub in the poop which has the organism in it into the wound. And that is how you get Chagas disease. From there it extends from the skin into the bloodstream,"

So apparently when you rub where this bug bit you it leaves a trail of feces that you could inadvertently be rubbing into the wound from the bite. How gross is that? Chagas disease can have a long term effect on your heart, esophagus and colon. According to a map from the Centers For Disease Control which you can see in the video below the entire southern United States and western portions including California have been know to have these bugs.

For more information on this disease Click Here