US Health officials have declared Chagas disease, a potentially deadly infection spread by the ‘kissing bugs’, an endemic. These bugs have been found in 32 states, and at least eight Americans have caught the disease from local transmission. This has led scientists to urge the CDC and the WHO to officially declare the illness as endemic in the U.S., which means it's a disease that is naturally present in the region. Experts believe that over 300,000 people in the U.S. may have Chagas disease, but very few of them know it.

What Is Chagas Disease?

According to UCLA Health, Chagas disease, a potentially life-threatening condition, is most commonly spread by the “kissing bug,” which gets its name because it tends to bite people on the face while they sleep. After biting, the bug defecates on the skin, leaving behind a parasite called T. cruzi. When the person scratches the itchy bite, they accidentally rub the parasite into the wound, and that's how it enters the bloodstream. Chagas disease can also be passed from a pregnant person to their baby, through organ transplants and blood transfusions, or by eating uncooked food that has been contaminated with the parasite.

Is Chagas Disease Contagious?

No, the Cleveland Clinic explains that this disease cannot spread from person to person. Many people with Chagas disease have no symptoms at all, which is why it's often called a "silent disease." In the early stage, which lasts about two months, some people might experience a swollen eyelid, fever, or body aches, but these symptoms are easily mistaken for other common illnesses.

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Over a person’s lifetime, about 20% of those infected will develop serious, long-term problems, most often affecting the heart. Chagas disease can slowly damage the heart, leading to an enlarged heart, heart failure, or even a heart attack. It can also cause digestive problems, like an enlarged colon.

How Big Are Kissing Bugs?

According to Texas A&M University, Kissing bugs are nocturnal insects that feed on blood. They are typically 1/2 to 1 inch long. Throughout their two-year lifespan, they bite people, dogs, and other animals multiple times to feed. Bites usually go unnoticed and do not attach like ticks.

What Are Signs And Symptoms of Chagas Disease?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Chagas disease happens in two main stages. For most people, the first stage goes unnoticed, but it can lead to very serious problems later on.

The First Stage

This early phase lasts for about two months after a person is infected. Most people have no symptoms at all, or they experience mild, general symptoms that could be caused by anything else, such as a fever, headache, muscle pain, or swelling. In rare cases, a person might see a specific sign, like a skin sore where they were bitten, or a purple swelling of one eyelid.

The Second Stage

The second stage of the disease can last for a person's entire life. During this time, the parasites hide mainly in the heart and muscles of the digestive system. About 10 to 30 years after being infected, up to a third of people will develop serious heart problems, and up to 1 in 10 will have digestive issues, such as an enlarged food pipe or colon. Over time, this can lead to an irregular heartbeat, slow heart failure, and in some cases, sudden death.

How To Treat Chagas Disease?

Anti-parasite medications are only effective at treating Chagas disease during its very early stage. Once the disease has been in the body for a while, there is no cure, though symptoms of heart failure can be managed with medication or even a heart transplant.

Doctors recommend that anyone who is from or has traveled to Latin America and begins to experience heart problems should be tested for Chagas disease. It's also worth noting that the U.S. blood supply has been tested for Chagas since 2007.

How Can We Prevent Chagas Disease?

WHO explains that because Chagas disease is carried by "kissing bugs" and is so widespread among wild animals throughout the Americas, it's not possible to completely wipe it out. Instead, public health efforts are focused on stopping the disease from spreading to humans, making sure infected people get diagnosed early, and providing them with lifelong medical care. To prevent the spread of Chagas disease, health organizations recommend a few key approaches:

Controlling the bugs

This is considered the most effective way to prevent the disease. It includes spraying homes and surrounding areas with bug-killing chemicals and making sure houses are built and kept clean to prevent the insects from living in cracks in the walls.

Personal protection

People can protect themselves with personal measures like using bed nets and practicing good hygiene when handling food.

Screening donors

Screening blood donors is necessary to prevent the disease from spreading through blood transfusions and organ transplants.

Checking newborns

It is also important to test newborns and other children of infected mothers, as the disease can be passed during pregnancy.

Andhra Pradesh may soon follow Australia's steps and ban social media for teenagers under the age of 16 in the state.

Nara Lokesh, Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Real Time Governance and Human Resources Development Minister for Andhra Pradesh, told Bloomberg at the World Economic Forum 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland: "As a state, we are studying Australia’s under-16 law, and yes, I believe we need to create a strong legal enactment.

"Youngsters below a certain age should not be on such platforms, as they do not fully understand the content they are exposed to. Thus, a strong legal framework may be required."

Also Read: Chikungunya Spreads Across Tamil Nadu: All You Need To Know

TDP national spokesperson Deepak Reddy supported Lokesh's claim and stated: "Children below a certain age are not emotionally mature enough to comprehend the negative and harmful content that is freely available online. That is why the Andhra government is studying global best practices and examining Australia's under-16 social media law."

If implemented successfully, Andhra Pradesh would be the first Indian state to issue the ban and could pave the way for other states to consider such policies. State officials are yet to clarify when the rule will be implemented and if any fines will be attached to it.

Is Any Other State Considering a Ban?

The petition was to emphasize on the awareness of the stakeholders and parental windows in the device that could control the menace of pornographic material which is easily accessible to children. The court asked Centre to order internet provider service companies to provide a 'Parental Window' to prevent children from accessing such content.

The Madurai Bench of Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan told the authorities of child rights to accelerate this matter. The bench also noted that children could only be prevented from consuming such content only if there is a parental control app on the device.

Judges also noted that parents have a higher responsibility in this, as children are highly vulnerable to such content.

READ MORE: Australia Social Media Ban Explained: Why Government Plans to Restrict Accounts of Under-16s

What Did Australia Do?

To protect the mental health of children, Australia has successfully banned several social media apps including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, and streaming platforms Kick and Twitch.

YouTube Kids, Google Classroom and WhatsApp are not covered under this rule as they do not fit those criteria.

While anyone under 16 will be still able to watch most of the content without logging in, however, they cannot have an account on it. Critics are urging the government to widen the ban to include online gaming platforms such as Roblox and Discord, which are currently not covered.

The government says that it will also reduce the negative impact of social media's "design features that encourage [young people] to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing".

A government study which was commissioned in 2025 found that 96% of children aged 10 to 15 used social media, and that seven out of 10 of them were exposed to harmful content. These content were misogynistic and violent in its nature, furthermore, content promoted eating disorders and suicide.

Children and parents will not be punished for infringing the ban, instead, social media companies will face fines of up to A$49.5m, which is equivalent of US$32m for serious or repeated breaches.

The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) has issued a statewide alert across Tamil Nadu due to a sudden uptick in chikungunya cases in multiple cities.

Cases have been reported across Chennai, Villupuram, Tenkasi, Theni, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Ariyalur. It remains unknown how many people have been affected and if any deaths have occurred.

Caused by the chikungunya virus, chikungunya virus disease (CHIKVD) is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) to humans. The illness usually starts with flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, joint pain and rashes.

Also Read: This Is Why Emmanuel Macron Wore Sunglasses At Davos

Typically, the illness has no clear no symptoms, especially in children and can easily be misdiagnosed as dengue and Zika. While there are no specific antiviral treatments for chikungunya virus infections, medications such as antipyretic and analgesic medications (such as paracetamol) for fever and pain can be used to ease the pain.

Most patients recover completely from the infection, but occasional cases of eye, heart, and neurological complications have been previously been reported with CHIKV infections.

What Are Tamil Nadu Officials Doing To Contain Cases?

Authorities have also emphasized that all government and private hospitals as well as diagnostic laboratories, need to timely report cases to ensure the infection does not spread . Any delay in reporting, officials noted, could allow the virus to spread rapidly within communities.

On the local level, district entomologists and health inspectors have been told to eliminate stagnant water in artificial containers and conduct weekly mass-cleaning drives in high-risk areas.

The DPH has also ordered that all designated dengue and chikungunya wards in hospitals be kept mosquito-free, with adequate bed strength and sufficient mosquito nets for patients.

READ MORE: What Is Chikungunya And How Can It Be Prevented?

Can Chikungunya Spread Easily?

Cases typically emerge mostly in the Americas, Asia and Africa and occasionally in Europe. However, nearly 30,000 CHIKVD cases have been recorded, including 83 associated deaths from 12 countries namely from China, Singapore, Pakistan, France, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, marking it as one of the biggest outbreaks in the world.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. As he spoke on the European solidarity amid US President Donald Trumps' treat to annex Greenland, something else seemed to take the attention away. Macron was seen wearing a pair of blue-tinted mirrored aviator sunglasses. The surprising part was that he wore it indoors. French media had already reported that he was seen wearing sunglasses since last week.

Trump also mocked Emmanuel Macron’s sunglasses during his speech at Davos, joking, “what the hell happened?” regarding the French president’s appearance.

Also Read: Nipah Virus Outbreak In India: After Two West Bengal Cases, Tests On Bats Show No Active Infection

Why Was Emmanuel Macron Wearing Sunglasses Indoors?

On Monday, Macron said that reflective glasses were to disguise a minor eye injury that he had sustained after having been spotted with a heavily bloodshot right eye. "Apologies for the shades, but I have to wear them for a while". He further said that it is for a "mild eye condition".

Last week, when he appeared at a military event in southern France with red eye, while addressing the troop, he said, it was "totally benign" and "completely insignificant", he also added, "Please pardon the unsightly appearance of my eye". He also joked about it, calling it "l'oiel du tigre" or the "eye of the tiger". This was a reference to rock band Survivor's song used in the 1982 boxing moving Rocky III. He said, "For those who get the reference, it is a sign of determination".

What Happened To Macron's Eyes?

As per the French media reports, Macron appeared to have a sub-conjunctival hemorrhage. This means there is a broken blood vessel in his eyes. It is harmless, painless, and does not affect the vision. It also cannot cause permanent injury to the eye, and clears within a fortnight.

Macron Wears Sunglasses Indoor: Is It Absolutely Necessary?

Medical doctor and media commentator Jimmy Mohamed told French broadcaster RTL that Macron "opted for this style for aesthetic reasons, because he is a public figure. However, sunglasses are not necessary to protect vision in this condition. Some people wear it to avoid attracting attention.

"Some people might think he's ill, so to avoid being photographed in that state, he decided to wear sunglasses. The glasses protect his image, but not really his eye," said Jimmy Mohamed.

Read: Why Can't I Hear When I Take My Glasses Off?

How Have Netizen Reacted To Macron Wearing Sunglasses?

He has been called 'kéké', which is a French slang for a show off. Others also joked about him being a "cyborg" or emulating Hollywood actor Top Cruise in Top Gun, the 1986 movie that made wearing aviators a fashion statement.

What Is Sub-conjunctival hemorrhage?

Sub-conjunctival hemorrhage or SCH is a common ocular condition defined by extravasation of blood beneath the conjunctiva, producing a sharply demarcated red patch on the scleral surface. The condition is usually painless and does not impair vision. It usually resolves within 1 to 2 weeks, making it a frequent but benign cause of ocular redness.

It usually happens by a sudden pressure increase from coughing, sneezing, vomiting, or heavy lifting. This could rupture tiny eye blood vessels, or from eye trauma like rubbing or foreign bodies, and can be linked to risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, blood thinners, or even childbirth in newborns.