On the Sunday, November 16 airing of the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, the main topics discussed were two parasitic diseases transmitted to humans primarily through a insect vector–Chagas disease and Babesiosis.

Chagas disease
Kissing bugs are the vector of Chagas disease
Image/Rachel Curtis–Hamer Labs

In the first segment, host Robert Herriman spoke to Melissa Garcia, a Research Associate with Baylor College of Medicine and the National School of Tropical Medicine. After a brief introduction to Chagas disease–the vector, the parasite and the pathology, Garcia went more into detail on the research and findings recently presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting in New Orleans, which included local transmission of Chagas and the amazing numbers of blood donors that test positive for the parasitic disease.

In the second segment, Wendy Simpson, a chronic Babesiosis sufferer and administrator of the Facebook support page, Babesia Blows joined Herriman to tell the story of her three decade and more battle with chronic infection with the tick borne parasite.

Listen to the full podcast below:

The Outbreak News This Week Radio Show airs every Sunday at 5 pm ET in the Tampa Bay area on 860 AM WGUL and online at HERE

Related interview: Chagas disease in North America

Related interview: Chagas disease in dogs

 

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