of its life in the fly and the rest of its in man.
The fly becomes infected by biting an infected man. Then the infected fly bites a healthy man who contracts the disease and suffers from it for the rest of his life. Within two weeks after being bitten the individual develops an irregular fever, accompanied by a skin rash and a swelling of lymph nodes all over the body. After several months he enters the sleeping sickness stage, and very drowsy during this time. Tremors, apathy, headache, convulsions, and coma indicate the advancement of the disease.
South American trypanosomeiasis or chaga's disease is spread by the contamination of wounds or eyes by the faeces of the reduviid bug. The disease germs enter the blood and attack the skeletal muscles and the heart. In children it follows an acute course, resulting in characteristices such as sore eyes, swelling of the face, anemia and enlarged glands and spleen. The disease culminates in either meningo-encephalitis or heart failure.
In adults chaga's disease takes a chronic form, often disturbing the cardiac rhym. Later on, as a result of this disturbance, spastic paralysis may occur and some patients may undergo psychic changes. The disease may run a course of twelve years.
There is no effective treatment for chaga's disease. The best thing to do is to prevent the disease by avoiding contact with the reduviid bug, which involves keeping the surrounding clean by occasional spraying or dusting with DDT or Gammexane.
For the African variety of this disease, suramin sodium is given intravenously or pentamidine intramusculary. One of these, given every two or three months, will give a high degree of protection. This should be used only under the supervision of a doctor.
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