Chagas disease has become a recent threat in the United States, specifically Texas, and it appears that the disease is not just caused by the bite of the kissing bug carrying the parasite, but also through blood transfusion
According to an NBC 5 investigation, the screening process for blood donors is not enough to rule out the presence of the parasite. The investigation was carried out by Scott Friedman, a senior investigative reporter for NBC 5 Investigates and Dr. Seema Yasmin from The Dallas Morning News.
NBC 5 Investigates reported that at least 12 people in Texas have been infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes the potentially fatal disease. The news outlet informed that there could be thousands of residents in Texas who carry the parasite after getting them somewhere in their travels outside of the United States.
People could go on for years without knowing that they're harboring the parasites because symptoms resemble those of a common flu. The parasite can go into a dormant phase for several years before it causes fatal symptoms leading to heart failure, or worse, death.
The investigation also found that blood screening in the United States for Chagas is not enough. Once a blood donor has been tested for Chagas disease, he or she is cleared and can donate blood repeatedly.
"It's time to consider Chagas again and see if what we are doing currently is correct or not," Dr. Richard Benjamin, American Red Cross' former head of blood safety, said, according to the news report. However, NBC Investigates managed to speak with blood banks and found that people working there are not at all concerned.
"The screen that we have in place is protecting the blood supply," Dr. Laurie Sutor, vice president of medical and technical services for Texas' largest blood bank, Carter Blood Center.
Meanwhile, Texas is not the only state that's recently experiencing problems with Chagas disease.
According to the reports, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claims the disease has been found in Southern states including Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. However, there's still no specific data on the case.
Local experts in Tennessee said that people in the area should not panic because the culprit insects in Tennessee Valley are not as notorious as other species found in different parts of the world, WRCBTV reported.
