Missouri Faces Growing Danger From Deadly Kissing Bug Disease

Just when you thought it was safe to plant a big fat one on your significant other, the deadly kissing bug disease has returned and Missouri is one of the states most in danger of seeing a surge of cases.

The kissing bug disease has nothing to do with you or anyone else showing affection - mostly

The Centers for Disease Control calls it Chagas Disease. While kissing gets the bad rap with the well-known disease name, the CDC says this nasty illness is passed "when a person comes into contact with the feces of an infected kissing bug". In a map just shared by the CDC, you can see that Missouri is one of the states with active cases of this disease along with historical episodes, too.

How can you prevent being affected by the kissing bug disease?

The Centers for Disease Control offer a curious bit of advice. They say "staying in well-built places" will help you avoid being infected by bugs carrying the kissing disease. Thanks for that helpful advice, feds.

What are symptoms of the kissing bug disease?

Mayo Clinic says that this disease can get really nasty and cause "serious heart and digestive problems". In the most serious instances, it can be life-threatening with heart failure, cardiac arrest and difficulty swallowing being the worst-case scenario. The bottom line is you don't want any part of the kissing bug disease and now Missouri is among the states that needs to be the most careful.