Viruses and parasites that were believed to be exotic and only existed beyond American borders are quickly gaining a foothold in the nation. Furthermore, diseases are placing heavy burdens and economic tolls on the healthcare systems. Neglected tropical diseases such as Chagas, cysticercosis, West Nile virus, dengue, echinococcosis, and toxocariasis are becoming more common in the country, especially in the south. Some of the factors that have contributed to the rapid transfer of neglected tropical diseases include climate change, globalization, trade, and migration. There is a need for increased research and public awareness regarding neglected tropical diseases. Public health authorities, professors, and research scientists have raised concerns about the increasing vulnerability of the country to neglected tropical diseases. Currently, the viruses and parasites affect over 1.4 billion people and they are characterized by their ability to disable or disfigure if left untreated ( Hotez et al., 2012). The research paper will evaluate the impact of one neglected tropical disease and the impact of climate change on the neglected tropical disease. Some of the parasites and viruses may cause seizures, long-term internal organ damage, blindness, and brain damage. The increased vulnerability of the US indicates the increasing need for increased epidemiological surveillance of their animal hosts, pathogens, and their insect hosts. There is an increased need for public awareness and the development of new medical treatments. Due to climate change, America has a favorable climate, ecology, and insect vectors to support the emergence and reemergence of some neglected tropical diseases and a vulnerable population that may be infected. Poverty is one of the main risk factors for neglected tropical diseases and poor people, especially minorities, are at a greater risk. Decreased research and federal surveillance of neglected tropical diseases have made it difficult to control and mitigate the spread of the diseases in the country. Over the past decade, medical researchers and doctors have become alarmed because of the rise of NTDs, especially in the south. Chikungunya virus, Chagas disease, and Neuro cysticercosis, among other illnesses, have emerged. Although most of the diseases fall under the title "neglected tropical diseases," most of the people affected by the diseases are not travelers who may have contracted the diseases while traveling to South America or any other tropical country. Instead of being travelers, they are people who mainly stay in their hometowns in Texas, Florida, and other states in the South ( Hotez et al., 2014). Although the word “tropical” should be dropped from the description, the word “neglected” best explains the situation. Most of the diseases used to be endemic in South American countries but they have recently spread to the north. Climate change plays a key role in the recent increase of NTDs in North America. Most insect vectors prefer the hot and humid climates of South American countries. The US Gulf Coast has been quite vulnerable to NTDs such as the Zika Virus that spread north from Brazil. There are about 60 million Americans living on the US Gulf coast and about 4 million are affected or contracted at least one NTD. The environmental changes in the 21 st century have become the main drivers of the changes. Regions in North America that were too dry, too hot, or too cold for the insect vectors to survive have become favorable for the survival of the insect vectors ( Hotez et al., 2012). Furthermore, about 10 million people in the US Gulf coast are poor making the situation worse because poverty translates to poor living standards, inadequate water, and sanitation, or degraded environments that support the breeding of insect vectors. Chagas disease is a good example of an NTD making an entrance and new home in North America. It was recently dubbed “HIV/AIDS of the Americas.” The disease is spread by infected triatomine bugs also known as “kissing bugs” because they often nibble near the mouth. The insect vectors often defecate after a bite and a human is infected after humans unknowingly rub the feces around the open bite ( Telleria & Tibayrenc, 2017). The Chagas parasite goes on to infect the colon, heart, and esophagus and may lead to severe intestinal complications and chronic heart failure. Over the past ten years, the bugs which are now found in about 50% of the US, have gradually become infected with the Chagas parasite after they feed on infected people and then spread it to other people. More than 55% of the triatomine bugs in the US may be infected because the US is already experiencing the effect of the disease ( Telleria & Tibayrenc, 2017). Figure 1 shows the areas that are at risk of the Chagas virus. Over 50% of the US may be at risk of being infected the CDC states that about 300000 have been infected by the Chagas virus. Annually, about 315 babies are born with the Chagas virus in the US. Moreover, between 2001 and 2010, the prevalence of Chagas disease in heart failure increased from 4% in 2001 to 17% in 2010 ( Telleria & Tibayrenc, 2017). The chronic and difficult disease is taking a financial toll on the health sectors and has serious financial implications for infected individuals. The country spends about $118 million annually to treat people infected by the Chagas disease. Additionally, it leads to the impairment of employees and leads to economic performance losses as high as $865 million every year.
People infected with the disease may be found worldwide. Initially, vector-borne transmission was confined to South America, Mexico, and Central America. However, the infected vectors are becoming endemic to North America. Most of the clinical information regarding the disease is compiled from the experiences of people who were infected with the Chagas disease. The course and severity of the infection vary among people and the strain of the triatomine parasite. The Chagas disease has two phases: the chronic phase and the acute phase. Both phases can either be life-threatening or symptom-free. The acute phase may last a few months or weeks after infection. The phase may go unnoticed because it is often symptom-free or it may exhibit mild symptoms that may not be unique to the parasite infection. Some of the symptoms include rash, fever, headache, fatigue, and body aches ( Hotez et al., 2012). After a physical examination, the physical signs include mild enlargement of the spleen or liver or local swellings on the area where the parasite entered the host.
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In the chronic phase, the symptoms or infection may often go unnoticed for life or even decades after infection. Nevertheless, some people may develop intestinal complications or cardiac complications. Cardiac complications may include cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart), altered heart rate, or even heart failure that may lead to sudden death. Intestinal complications may include an enlarged colon (megacolon) or enlarged esophagus (megaesophagus) that may cause difficulties when passing stool or eating. The risk of developing one or more of the complications is less than 30% after infection ( Moncayo & Silveira, 2017). Also, when the symptoms emerge in the acute phase, they may fade within a few months or weeks. However, if the symptoms persist, the infection often grows stronger within the host’s body. About 5% of children infected by the parasite die from severe inflation of the brain or heart muscle. Also, the symptoms are often serious and severe for individuals with weakened immune systems. The disease is attributed to Trypanosoma cruzi. The NTD was initially endemic in rural and Latin America and spread by insect vectors, especially the kissing bug. The insect vectors become infected after biting a host infected by the parasite. The parasite may also be spread congenitally, through blood transfusion, orally, or by organ transplantation ( Hotez et al., 2012). After infection, the lymphocytes expand rapidly and differentiate into effector cells to manage the parasite. Also, the effector cells coordinate various effector arms of the body's immune system. Shortly after the expansion, most of the antigen-specific lymphocytes die but a pool of memory cells is developed and provides long-term immunity to Chagas disease. The rate of pathogen clearance and extent of infection determines the rate of cell expansion and the corresponding homeostatic contraction to a viable and stable pool of memory cells ( Hotez et al., 2012). The direct relationship between the dynamic of lymphoid cells in the tissues and the kinetics of T-cell response is one of the main features of acute infections caused by pathogens that may be cleared during the period of body response. There are distinct lymphocyte dynamics in the peripheral and central lymphoid organs caused by acute infection attributed to Trypanosoma cruzi, which is the causative agent related to the Chagas disease. Although the mesenteric and thymus glans may undergo severe atrophy and intense lymphocyte depletion, the subcutaneous lymph nodes and spleen expand because of B and T cell proliferation/activation. Such vents are controlled or regulated by parasite-derived moieties and cytokines. Therefore, identifying the molecular mechanisms regarding regional lymphocyte behavior essential to the infection is essential when developing or designing novel immune interventions that will control Chagas disease ( Moncayo & Silveira, 2017). Understanding the link between Chagas disease has become increasingly important due to the direct effects of climate change on vector-borne diseases. Climate change not only affects interactions between vectors and pathogens but also the link between pathogens and humans. The direction and magnitude of variations in climate on vector and host populations are local and is dependent on physical interactions such as precipitation and temperature. Vector transmission is the main form of transmission of Chagas disease from South America to North America ( Gonzálezet al., 2010). The impact of environmental variables such as precipitation and temperature on behavioral and physiological processes is widely shown by the triatomine bug. Temperature and humidity have a direct impact on thermal preference processes such as metabolic rate processes, host finding, cessation of molting, feeding, immature development time, egg production, and hatching rate. Therefore, climate change has an effect on essential processes and the potential distribution of triatomine bugs. Studying the climatic niche allows insights into the current geographical distribution of triatomine bugs and epidemiological changes in the future. The rise in sea level on the American coast accompanied by higher temperatures has affected the hatching rate and maturity time. Triatomine bugs thrive in moderate temperatures and humidity. Therefore, as the climate gets warmer and wetter in some areas, the kissing bugs found new geographical regions to infest ( Hotez et al., 2013). Moreover, it has increased the hatching rate and reduced the maturity time. Also, the increase in human populations has offered new breeding grounds, especially within cracks in structures. The spaces between walls provide adequate space for breeding and hiding during the day while they focus on feeding during the night. The atmospheric concentration of nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide began rising about two hundred years ago. The concentration of greenhouse gases rose from 280 parts per million to over 400 parts per million between 1800 and 2016 ( Messenger et al., 2017). The most essential gas in the greenhouse effect is carbon dioxide because it is continuously changed between the ocean, atmosphere, and land. For thousands of years, there was a balance in the carbon cycle before 1800. But human-induced deforestation, fossil fuel combustion, and cement manufacture disrupted the balance leading to a sudden increase in carbon dioxide faster than it can be stored by oceans and land biosphere. Over the past five decades, the oceans absorbed more than 25% of carbon dioxide emissions hence making them more acidic. The land took up about 30% of the carbon dioxide emissions while the remaining 45% is accumulating in the atmosphere ( Messenger et al., 2017). The main cause of the rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the consumption of fossil fuels. Over the past two hundred years, the increase in fossil fuel consumption has been directly linked to a rise in economic activity and energy use. Between 2000 and 2010, fossil fuel emissions increased by over 3% ( Gonzálezet al., 2010). The largest rise in fossil fuel emissions is attributed to the rapid economic growth in Asia, especially China and India. Most climate scientists believe that the main cause of global warming is human actions on the planet. The increase in fossil fuel consumption has a direct impact on the greenhouse effect. Certain gases in the atmosphere such as nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide block heat from escaping the earth’s atmosphere. They act as a thermal blanket that absorbs heat and warms the land surface making areas that were not inhabitable for infectious triatomine bugs to become favorable for infestation. Since the industrial revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased by more than 33%. The human activities that caused the rise include burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and land use changes. Some of the human activities that have increased methane concentration in the atmosphere are agriculture, especially rice cultivation. Nitrous oxide is a critical greenhouse gas that is mainly produced through soil cultivation practices especially the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers, biomass burning, fossil fuel combustion, and nitric acid production. Therefore, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Human activities and the clearing of and for various human activities, agriculture, and industry have increased the concentration of all greenhouse gases ( Brooker, Hotez, & Bundy, 2010). The consequence of human activities is that the earth will become warmer. Warmer conditions may cause higher evaporation rates and higher humidity in North America. A stronger greenhouse effect will melt glaciers and warm the oceans thus increasing the sea level. Meanwhile, the habitats of animals and plants will be affected. Some will respond favorably while others will fail. The United Nations believes that there is a 95% probability that human actions over the past five decades have caused global warming ( Messenger et al., 2017). The industrial activities of developed countries and modern civilization increased the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere from about 380 parts per million to over 400 parts per million over the past two hundred years. The sooner humans agree that they are responsible for climate change, the easier and faster they will take action to mitigate the impact of climate change. Every year since 1977 has been warmer than the average of temperature in the 20th century. 2016 was officially the warmest year recorded in the earth’s history ( Messenger et al., 2017). Moreover, studies indicate that without adverse human activities, 13 out of the 15 warmest years recorded in the 21st century would not have occurred. The human footprint on the environment is causing a different range of records on the earth's oceans, land surface, and atmosphere. Most scientists believe that the current global warming is caused by humans increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere when they mine and burn gas, coal, and oil or when they cut and burn down forests. Emissions from power plants and cars have led to higher concentrations of carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect. A stronger greenhouse effect leads to higher temperatures and increases in NTDs ( Coura & Viñas, 2010). Humans have a big role to play in reducing emissions. However, industrialized nations that consume most of the fossil fuels globally such as China and the US should take a lead role in reducing the release of carbon dioxide. Most nations in the world are increasing their fight against the effect of climate change. Although the US withdrew from the Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol, most leaders and corporates still support environmental protection plans. Most governors are looking for ways of reducing the human footprint in the atmosphere. Individually, humans have a role to play in reducing the impact of global warming and the spread of Chagas disease. One of the ways is by speaking up. People should speak to their family and friends to ensure the representatives make environmentally friendly decisions. People should voice their concerns through social media or messages that people are concerned about the warming world. The public should encourage Congress to make laws that increase taxes for the main sources of pollution while making laws that limit carbon dioxide emissions ( Garcia et al., 2017). Constituents should ensure that the elected leaders make effective laws regarding climate change. Furthermore, people should power their homes with renewable energy. Most of the power in the US is coal generated. Selecting utility companies that generate more than 50% of their power from renewable sources such as solar or wind will reduce the country’s dependence on coal and reduce the release of carbon dioxide into the earth’s atmosphere. Also, people should invest in energy-efficient equipment. Since energy efficient standards were established in 1987, the US has reduced over 2.3 tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which is equal to the amount of carbon dioxide released by about 440 million cars annually ( Coura & Viñas, 2010). People should always look for the Energy Star label when shopping for washing machines, refrigerators, and other appliances. It will ensure that homes are energy efficient. The other technique is by reducing water waste. Reducing water wastage and the amount of water used in homes reduces the amount of energy used in treating, pumping, and heating water. People should turn off the taps while brushing their teeth and take shorter showers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) insists that if only one percent of American homes were fitted with energy-efficient water and power fixtures, more than 100 million kilowatts of power would be saved annually and it would avoid 80000 tons of carbon emissions ( Garcia et al., 2017). On the other hand, about 10% of power in the US is used for shipping, growing, packaging, and processing food. Also, 40% of processed food ends up as waste in landfills. Therefore, if people reduced food wastage and meat consumption, it will reduce energy consumption. Livestock products are resource intensive when production. People should also focus on buying better bulbs because LED bulbs consume 80% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. If the 10 watts LED bulb replaces the conventional 60-watt bulb, it will save a home over $125 in the bulb's lifespan. An average American home uses about 65 different devices. Also, appliances use energy when they are not charging. The idle appliances consume power from about 50 coal-powered plants annually (Utzinger et al., 2012). If appliances are unplugged when they are not being used, it will reduce the country's overreliance on coal-powered plants. Therefore, people should ensure they adjust their monitors and computers to automatically shut down or power down when they are not in use. Additionally, the country should focus on driving energy-efficient vehicles. Gas-efficient cars such as fully electric cars or hybrids will save money and fuel. If Americans used energy-efficient cars that average about 28.3 miles per gallon, the country would cut vehicle emissions by 50% and spend about 80% less at the pump annually ( Hotez et al., 2013). Ultimately, controlling climate change will control the spread of triatomine bugs and Chagas disease.
Conclusion
The research paper evaluates the impact of one neglected tropical disease and the impact of climate change on the neglected tropical disease. Chagas disease is attributed to Trypanosoma cruzi. The NTD was initially endemic in rural and Latin America and spread by insect vectors, especially the kissing bug. The insect vectors become infected after biting a host infected by the parasite. Vector transmission is the main form of transmission of Chagas disease from South America to North America ( Brooker, Hotez, & Bundy, 2010). The impact of environmental variables such as precipitation and temperature on behavioral and physiological processes is widely shown by the triatomine bug. Humans have increasingly caused human action through livestock farming, cutting down forests, and burning fossil fuels. Human actions have released large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and increased global warming. The concentration of greenhouse gases rose from 280 parts per million to over 400 parts per million between 1800 and 2016. The increased temperatures and humidity levels in some parts of North America induced favorable conditions for the breeding of various insect vectors that cause NTDs. For North American countries to control the spread of STDs, they must focus on reducing pollution and improving their carbon footprint ( Messenger et al., 2017). If humans do not control their impact on the environment, the spread of NTDs will increase and endanger the lives of millions of Americans.
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