Chagas disease, an illness transmitted by biting insects, has been compared to HIV/AIDS in some respects, according to a report published in the journal PLoS.  The editorial, authored by specialists in tropical diseases from Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, states, "Endemic Chagas disease has emerged as an important health disparity in the Americas.  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." 

Chagas disease is already prevalent in South America.  Like AIDS, "it has a long incubation time and is hard or impossible to cure," the New York Times reports.  Both are chronic diseases and require prolonged treatment.  There are, however, strong distinctions.  Unlike HIV, a sexually transmitted disease, Chagas disease is caused by a parasite, spread through bites of reduviid insects, commonly known as "kissing bugs."  Chagas afflicts the heart and digestive organs, while HIV/AIDS attacks the body's immune system. 

According to the National Institutes of Health, complications from Chagas disease can include inflammation of the heart, esophagus and colon, as well as irregular heart beat and heart failure.  According to the New York Times, one quarter of people who contract Chagas disease eventually develop large organs that can potentially burst, causing sudden death.

The disease can also spread from mother to child and from blood transfusions, according to the NIH.   The disease already afflicts about 10 million people in Central and South America.  The globalization of Chagas translates up to 1 million cases in the US alone, although other estimates place the count to about 300,000 cases in the US. 

Jesus said that this would be one of the signs which signals His return, "Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places" Matthew 24:7.  We are already seeing these signs increasing consistently throughout the globe now.  Are you prepared to stand before the Lord to give an account of your decision about Him, and step into eternity?  If not, please visit the How Can I Be Saved page of this website.  God bless you.