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December 2, 2008 12:05:35 PM CST



New Approach Targets Tough Parasitic Illness

Posted Dec 27, 07 1:15 PM CST in World Science & Health 

(Newser) – A new way to test for Chagas disease offers hope for combating the insect-borne ailment, which can otherwise go unnoticed for years, Reuters reports. The new method involves screening children in small areas where exterminators find the most disease-carrying bugs instead of having to test bigger populations. The disease infects 11 million people each year, mostly in Latin America.

Chagas disease spreads through single-celled parasites transmitted to humans by the “assassin bug.” After spraying houses to ward off the insect, exterminators can relay information to health workers, who can screen children and provide the infected with medicine. The strategy isn’t foolproof, but “you are going to get as many kids as you can this way,” said the head of the research team.

Source Reuters

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A microscopic view of Chagas disease.   (Center For Disease Control)
The assassin bug.   (Flickr)
Chagas disease is usually transmitted to humans by a blood-sucking insect called an assassin or kissing bug.   (Center for Disease Control)
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