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The 130-odd members of the subfamily Triatominae are also known as kissing bugs or vampire bugs for their tendency to bite humans around the soft tissue of the mouth. The insects are found in 28 states in the U.S. However, the ones here rarely carry Chagas disease, and the cases in the U.S. are thought to have originated in Central America, where it is endemic. Chagas kills about 12,000 people annually worldwide. Victims are typically asymptomatic for four to eight weeks. Even in the chronic phases, most people show few symptoms, but 45 percent develop heart disease 10 to 30 years after the initial infection, and this can lead to heart failure.
