The parasitic insect known as the kissing bug that carries a fatal heart disease is a much bigger problem to almost half the country rather than solely the state of Texas as initially thought.

The Trypanosoma Cruzi, better known as the  kissing bug gets its name due to their preference of biting the areas around its host’s lips. They carry the parasitic microbe that can cause the Chagas disease that can lead to death.

The parasite, indigenous to Central and South America, are biggest threats to southern Texas but they don’t stop there.

The bite of a kissing bug only causes minor irritation. When scratching the area in which they bite, the host’s blood is contaminated from the waste they drop while feeding.

Those infected of the disease do not become aware of it until around 10 to 15 years when heart problems actually show themselves unless it is detected through blood tests.

So far, there are around 300,000 cases in the U.S. however a handful of them have been contracted in other countries.