SAVANNAH, Ga. () — A dangerous insect known as the kissing bug has a lot of people talking on social media.
The kissing bug, also known as the assassin bug, is now found in over 30 states, including Georgia and South Carolina.

The insect transmits a deadly parasite through its feces, which, if ingested by humans or animals, often causes Chagas Disease. This can be deadly if left untreated.

Dr. Timothy Connelly, who works in internal medicine at Memorial Health said, “We don’t have a high number of them here. But because those bugs are increasing in the bugs or testing positive in animals, or testing positive, it’s really only a matter of time before we start to see humans.”

The name kissing bug comes from the location where the insect bites its host, which is usually near the eyes and mouth.

If the bugs defecate on you or your food, you can get Chagas Disease, which comes from the parasite that lives in the insect’s digestive track.

“So, it’s not something we’re seeing in large numbers in Savannah, thank goodness, but we are starting to see the bugs more and more,” Connelly said. “Again, the majority of people are asymptomatic, but even in asymptomatic individuals, ten, 20, 30 years down the line, this particular bug can cause problems.”

If you are infected, it could lead to health problems like heart failure, GI illness, and chronic diarrhea. Other symptoms to look out for are swollen eyelids and flu-like symptoms that last longer than a few weeks.

“Prior to them saying it was endemic, we would really only think about this as clinicians if they were from South America. Now, this is something we have to think about in our local population,” said Connelly.

“It’s not an easy thing to get. You literally have to smash the guts of the bug and then touch your mouth or, you know, eat something that the bug has defecated on that’s been out in the environment, or have the bug in your house come to your dinner table or something.”

There have been animal cases of the disease in our area, but Dr. Connelly says the percentage of transmission from animal to human is very low.

You can take precautions while being in heavily wooded areas or out in nature to avoid being infected.

Precautions such as wearing long sleeves and pants, carrying bug spray and wearing hats with nets. Experts also say that making sure your home is exterminated can also cut down on the risk of being infected.