New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- Chagas disease, long considered a tropical illness confined to Latin America, is increasingly being detected in the United States. The parasitic infection, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and spread primarily by triatomine "kissing bugs," has been found in US insects, wildlife, companion animals, and even humans without travel history-challenging the official classification of the country as nonendemic. Experts now argue that the US should be recognised as hypoendemic, a shift that could improve surveillance, research, and public health responses to this neglected disease.

Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The paras...