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Good evening. And right before we dive into the story on Parasite, I'll quickly mention that if you were just tired of the media landscape in this country with the bias and the pushing of narratives and just the ignoring of inconvenient stories, well, you're in luck. You can consider trying the Epic Times right now. You can still catch the Labor Day sale, which is kind of funny. Labor Day is so far away, but you can still catch that sale and it's a great deal. It's only 50 cents a week for the entire year. And by trying it, you can get access to everything, all the infographics we have up on there, all the videos, the documentaries, the great articles, the analysis pieces, everything. And so again, if you've been looking for an honest source of news that actually respects your intelligence, consider trying the Epoch Times. The link will be right there at the top of the description box below. Again, it's only 50 cents a week for the whole year. You can cancel anytime. So there's really no risk to try. And they're also offering two free gifts with, with that trial subscription. So click on that link, check out what those gifts are, and I hope you try the Epic Times. Now, shifting gears, let's dive into the main topic which has to do with this right here. It's what's known as a kissing bug, which is, you can say a pretty nice sounding name considering what this thing actually is. It's literally a blood sucking parasite. They're about an inch long, they're usually dark brown or black with these red or orange markings around the edges of their bodies. And, and in recent years, they've become, you can say, fairly common in the southern part of the country. In the southern states, especially in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, as well as the southern part of California. Although I think it's worth mentioning that there have also been reported sightings of these particular bugs in at least two dozen other states as well. In fact, up on your screen, this is a map from the CDC show showing all of the different states where there have been reports of these kissing bugs. And that's by the way, just here in the U.S. down in Mexico, in Central America, as well as in South America, they are a lot more common and ubiquitous. But here in the U.S. well, they're basically concentrated in the southern part of the country, the part that is closest to Mexico. Now, the MO for these bugs is to hide during the day in shady spots and then come out at night in order to feed on both humans as well as animals. And the reason that they're called kissing bugs is because they have this tendency to bite people near the eyes and mouth. While that person sleeps. Giving them, you could say, a little kiss. But it's not the type of kiss that you would ever want. Because again, these things, they're literally parasites that transmit something called Chagas disease. Which has actually now become so prevalent here in the US that the CDC recently came out with this study right here. That you can see up on your screen saying that for one, There are approximately 300,000Americans infected with these parasites. And that secondly, Shaga's disease is now considered endemic here in the US because of it. Let me read to you exactly how the infection occurs. Quote. Kissing bugs, also known as cone, nose or barber bugs. Transmit the parasite Trans Trypanosoma cruzi to humans, which causes Chagas disease. The bugs bite humans to access blood. After that, the bugs deposit their droppings containing the parasites into human skin. If the droppings get into the body via a cut or through the eyes or mouth. The individuals may end up getting infected. For instance, when a person scratches the bite. The parasites may enter the wound and into the bloodstream. The CDC warned that the illness can potentially lead to sudden death in some individuals. So that's obviously pretty rough. And once someone is infected with this disease. And if they hopefully don't experience sudden death. And instead go through the natural cycle of the disease. The problem is that the symptoms are very similar to other illnesses. And so people might not even consider that they have Chagas. Which is unfortunate because during the early stages it can be treated relatively easily. In fact, the UCLA Healthcare system, they recently published an article. You can see it up on your screen and detailing how the symptoms actually develop in two distinct phases. Here's what they wrote about phase number one. Many people with Chagas disease are asymptomatic throughout its acute and chronic phases. During the acute phase, which lasts about two months. Some people experience severe swelling of the eyelid. Which is almost a hallmark of acute Chagas infection. Other acute symptoms may include fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting. But because these symptoms are similar to those of other illnesses. Most people don't immediately consider the source to be infection with T. Cruzy parasite. And so that right there is the problem. During the acute phase, lasting the first two months. The symptoms are very similar to a bunch of other illnesses. And so most people, they probably. They wouldn't even consider the possibility of having been infected with this particular parasite. But it's only during the acute phase that antiparasitic medications actually work. If the disease develops beyond that into the chronic phase, medication can no longer really help. Quote during the chronic phase of the disease, which can last a lifetime, about 20% of those infected will develop serious heart or digestive problems. Chagas disease can cause an enlarged heart, heart failure, or cardiac arrest. An enlarged colon or an enlarged esophagus. Left untreated, Chagas disease kills the heart very slowly. For your reference, WHO estimates say that roughly 10,000 people per year die of Chagas disease. Now this notice from the UCLA Health System. It goes on to say that while many people are able to manage their condition with heart medications, there's a percentage of people in that chronic phase who wind up needing heart transplants. Which is of course bad enough on its own. But to make matters worse, receiving a transplant can actually reactivate the disease. Quote Some patients can manage their condition with cardiac medication to treat heart failure, while others may need a heart transplant. Patients of Chagas disease as cause of end stage heart failure generally do very well after heart transplantation and they can live a full and high function in life after the transplant. Transplantation, however, can reactivate Chagas disease in those infected. So patients are monitored regularly to check for recurrence of the disease. If Chagas returns, these patients can be treated with antiparasite medication. However, antiparasite medications are only effective against Chagas during the acute phase or recurrence after a transplant. So that's all to say with the growing prevalence of these kissing bugs, especially in the southern part of the country, as well as with apparently Chagas disease becoming endemic. It's important to keep in the back of your mind that if you have the symptoms that were listed, consider getting a test before the condition moves from the acute phase into the chronic phase. And just for your reference, I'm going to list those conditions again. They are as follows. Swelling of the eyelid, which is a telltale sign. Mysterious bite marks around the face after waking up from sleep. Fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, loss of appetite, diarrhea as well as vomiting. The last few are pretty common among many different illnesses. So I guess if you have a swelled eye or bite marks in the face and just keep Chagas disease in mind. As the UCLA article mentioned, the disease is on the rise, especially in the areas that border Mexico. And that many Americans who are infected actually don't know that they're infected by a huge margin. Here's what they wrote. Quote Experts estimate about 45,000 people in Los Angeles county are infected among more than 300,000 in the United States and fewer than 2% of them know that they carry the parasite traffic transmitted by the kissing bug, which is wild. Fewer than 2% know that they have the parasite, meaning if you reverse it, 98% of them don't know that they have it. If you'd like to dig deeper into the story, into the transmission history of the disease, the developing prevalence of these bugs in the US over the last 30 years, as well as what might actually be leading to their prevalence, I'll throw several resources down into the description box below this video so you can check them out if you're the type of person that likes to dig into the weeds. And as an aside, I'll also mention a few things. One, I hope you like and subscribe to this like this video and subscribe to this channel if you appreciate this content. Secondly, if you are just interested in getting an unbiased source of news, consider trying the Epic Times. That Labor Day sale is still running. The link will be down there in the description box below. Check it out. There's also two free gifts that they're offering with every subscription. So you can click on that link, check out what those gifts are before you actually make make the make the purchase. And then lastly, I have a new channel called PrimeTime, a new YouTube channel. Check it out. We actually have not a companion episode, but sort of thematically similar episode to this one here where we go through what RFK Jr. Is up to at the HHS. If you want to check out that episode, I'll link it down there in the description box as well. So a lot of different links you can check out if you're interested and then otherwise hope you are enjoying your week. Hope you do not ever have an encounter with this parasite, but if you do, or someone you know do, I really hope that the information presented today will help you catch it in its acute phase. You take those antiparasitic medications and then you move on with your life, never having to worry about an enlarged heart, enlarged esophagus, or whatever else comes with it. It seems like a nightmare. So yeah, I hope this information helps someone. And then until next time, I'm your host Roman from the Epoch Times. Stay informed and most importantly, stay free.