Triatomic bugs, or, as they are also called, kisses, are a new threat to society. Little is known about her, but these creatures pose a rather big danger to health. Annually, up to 45 thousand people die because of them!
The most frightening thing is that, despite a wide variety of scientific articles and news in magazines and on the Internet, very few people have an idea about triatomous bugs. And, most likely, the statistics cited in the 45 thousand deaths per year are clearly understated, since the majority of those infected do not even realize that they carry a deadly disease.
Description and classification
130 different species of these insects are known to science, and quite a lot of them are carriers of the dangerous Chagas disease. The kissing bug belongs to the order Coleoptera, the family Predators. Its elongated body like a stick of black color can reach 3 cm in length. The head has a conical shape, and the presence of wings allows the insect to easily overcome obstacles. Compared with a home-made ordinary bug, its limbs and oral apparatus are longer, but it drinks much less blood.
Triatomic bugs come from South America, but these days they are rapidly reaching the northern regions. They live mainly in low-income areas, among the population, huddling in reed huts and adobe buildings. Studies by Vermont scientists have shown that not only migration, but also global warming is to blame for the spread of killer bugs to the north of the mainland.
What threat does the triatom bug pose?
Trypanosome Cruz are parasites that develop in the digestive tract of these insects. Thanks to them, the latter got their name - triatoms. It is these parasites that live in the stomach of bugs, and are carriers of Chagas disease (Chagas). Having bitten a person, a triatom bug will defecate directly into the wound or next to it, from where the parasites enter the bloodstream and begin to multiply directly in the human body. Because of the bug bite itself, infection is impossible. It comes from bowel movements.
The bug begins to hunt with the onset of night, he crawls out of his hiding place and makes his way to the sleeping man. It bites mainly in the area of the lips and eyes, where the skin is the warmest. Through sleep, a person does not feel a bite, the bug can eat from 15 to 20 minutes and defecate immediately. A man combing a wound, brings the feces of the parasite into the body, and there the process is already running.
Chagas disease
Triatomic bugs are the most dangerous representatives of the species that are carriers of this serious disease. Bacteria that enter the human body begin their development and affect the gastrointestinal tract, heart, and musculoskeletal system.
The disease can occur in two types: acute form, which lasts 1-2 months after infection, and chronic, the development of which takes place over 5-20 years.
Symptoms of the disease in the acute stage:
- Swelling in the bite area (the skin takes on a dark red hue).
- Enlarged lymph nodes.
- Body temperature rises.
- Headache.
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Gastrointestinal Disorder.
- Blanching of the skin.
In some cases, such symptoms may not occur at all, or they may manifest in part.
In chronic form, there is:
- Muscle pain.
- The appearance of shortness of breath.
- Pain in the abdomen and chest area.
- Significant loss of appetite.
- Constant fatigue.
- Blue limbs of arms and legs, as well as lips.
- Frequent fainting, loss of orientation and other mental disorders.
To date, there is no specific vaccine for the disease that is distributed by triatomic bugs in the world. Treatment is carried out with the use of antiparasitic drugs. But the sooner therapy begins, the greater the chances of a one hundred percent recovery of the patient.
Treatment and Precautions
Having noticed a bite on yourself, the first thing to do is to wash the affected area with clean water using soap and in no case scratch it. Then it is necessary to take appropriate blood tests to identify parasites that cause Chagas disease. In case of luck and negative results, you only need to relieve itching and swelling, using special ointment, ice and soda.
When the test results are positive, drugs such as Nifurtimox or Benzidazole are used, which can fight the infection that triatomic bugs carry. Their medical value is quite large, because at the very early stage of the disease there is a chance of cure.
Preventive measures
It is not easy to completely protect yourself from these insects. They can enter the home with your pet. Nevertheless, some tips will reduce the risk of encountering a triatom bug:
- Do not clutter up the house, let alone the bedroom, with piles of clothes and papers to reduce the places where triatomic bugs can hide.
- Install mosquito nets wherever possible: on windows, doors, loopholes for cats and dogs.
- Keep chimneys closed.
- Switch off the outside light as unnecessary and, if possible, replace the cold incandescent lamps (white) with yellow ones - they attract insects less.
- Prevent cracks in the foundation and other parts of the building.
- Carry out cleaning as often as possible, special attention should be paid to crevices, dark places, bedding, pet rugs.
- Use special sticky traps.
