A little-known parasitic disease from Latin America costs the US
economy $900 million a year, the New York Times reports, even
though you've probably never heard of Chagas disease. To put the
figure in perspective, the much more publicized Lyme disease
costs the US about $2.5 billion, a study reported. And
worldwide, Chagas costs some $7 billion—more than cervical
cancer or cholera. Chagas, spread by bites from the bloodsucking
"kissing bug," is widespread from Mexico south to Argentina, and
the bugs have appeared in the southern US. As NPR notes, about
300,000 Americans carry the bug; most are Texans. Some 10
million people across the globe may have the disease, including
some Latin American emigrants to the US, Canada, and Spain,
among other European countries. Costs in the study were
associated with the health care involved and the number of lost
healthy years. Researchers hope that emphasizing the economic
impact of Chagas will encourage more work on vaccines. (In other
unusual health news, a mystery brai