Kissing Bug’ Disease Is on the Rise in the U.S.—Is Michigan at Risk?

Lately, I’ve been seeing headlines about kissing bugs and “kissing bug disease,” and how it’s spreading across the United States, with reports in more than 30 states. It got me wondering, what in the world is a kissing bug, and why haven’t I heard of it before?

What Is a Kissing Bug?

Despite the cute name, these bugs are anything but; they’re straight-up disease-carrying bloodsuckers. They apparently bite people around the mouth or face while they sleep, which is how they got the name.

It’s not the bite itself that you need to worry about; it’s the nasty parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi) they sometimes carry. According to CBS News, that parasite can cause Chagas disease, which the CDC recently declared endemic in the U.S., meaning it’s not just showing up here and there anymore. It’s established and here to stay. So yeah, that kind of sucks.

Chagas Disease Symptoms to Watch For

Here’s the kicker. You might not even know you have Chagas disease at first. Some people don’t notice a thing, while others get mild symptoms like fever, fatigue, or swelling near the eye. The real problem shows up years later. About a quarter of infected people can develop serious heart or digestive problems that may even turn deadly if untreated.

Are Kissing Bugs in Michigan?

Kissing bugs have been reported in 32 states, and human cases of Chagas disease have turned up in places like Texas, California, and Tennessee. The good news is Michigan isn’t one of them. No kissing bugs have ever been confirmed here (yet), and no cases of Chagas disease have been reported either.

There were some reports back in 2019 claiming kissing bugs were here, but it turned out those reports were false.