"Chagas disease, a tropical illness that is transmitted by biting insects, may pose a major unseen threat to poor populations in the Americas and Europe, according to a report published May 29 in the journal PLoS."

"The editorial, which was co-authored by several experts in tropical diseases from Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, likens some aspects of the disease to that of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

'Endemic Chagas disease has emerged as an important health disparity in the Americas,' the authors wrote. 'As a result, we face a situation in both Latin America and the US that bears a resemblance to the early years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.'

Like AIDS, Chagas disease, which is already prevalent in Central and South America, 'has a long incubation time and is hard or impossible to cure,' The New York Times reports. "

Andres Jauregui reports for the Huffington Post May 30, 2012. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Stubborn Infection, Spread by Insects, Is Called ‘The New AIDS of the Americas’" (New York Times) [3]

"Exotic Diseases From Warmer Climates Gain Foothold in The U.S." (ClimateWire) [4]