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Is Chagas disease the new AIDS of the Americas?

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    Nearly 40,000 people affected in U.S.

  • Duration 2:01
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We're hearing reports today about a medical mystery some scientists are calling the new aids of the Americas.

The name of the illness is shot -- disease.

You can treat -- but you cannot cure it.

It can be fatal in researchers say it's spreading now at an alarming rate.

Trace Gallagher has the details from our West Coast -- Trace.

But to -- -- you gotta catch it early enough the problem is just like -- obvious is very hard to detect it has his long incubation period.

With no symptoms.

What happens is these blood sucking insects actually said -- Parasite into your blood right and it releases the parasite and that it makes its way to your heart organ actually -- called -- kissing bug.

It stays dormant for years and that it shows up as heart disease potentially a heart attack.

As many as eight million people have shot goes mostly shows up and impoverished areas like Bolivia Mexico and Central America.

But experts now estimate that 30000 people in this country are effective most of those.

Are immigrants now it can be passed through blood transfusions.

Or you can pass it -- your children.

It has similarities to the early spread of HIV.

Here's Dr.

Manny Alvarez let's.

What we have to realize is that did diseases of the tropics which is in our back yard.

And there there are many of them right -- Are becoming more prevalent in the US and I think that's a factor because the world is opening up more.

-- can't really get rid of this thing you have to diagnose it and then -- it we should point out that Charles Darwin you know theory of evolution.

His death as many medical mystery for very -- long time and now.

There's a lot of new research -- says it's possible that that man also died.

Of shots that becoming much more prevalent in this country which is a frightening scenario and it really has -- Trace thank you.

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