‘Kissing bugs’ not a threat in Fayette County

Fayette County has posted a notice to residents concerned about so-called “kissing bugs” and diseases related to them.

An article from the University of Georgia Department of Entomology notes that “kissing bugs have been in Georgia for millions of years…[but] are not deadly, and most of them are not infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease.”

It is the bugs’ feces that can cause infection if ingested, but UGA stated, “Here in the Southeast, very few of the bugs carry the parasite.”