MISCARRIAGE AND KISSING BUG

                          INTRODUCTION

                                                        

Studies indicate that 15 to 20 percent of all diagnosed pregnancies end in miscarriage, says The World Book Encyclopedia. But the risk of marriage is highest during the first two weeks following conception [fertilization], a time at which most women do not know they are pregnant.

 Another reference states that over 80 percent of miscarriages occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, of which at least half are thought to be caused by defects in the chromosomes of the fetus. These defects are not the result of similar defects in the chromosomes of the mother or father.

 Other causes of miscarriage may stem from the mother’s health. Medical authorities point to hormonal and immune system disorders, infections, and abnormalities in the cervix or uterus of the mother. Chronic diseases such as diabetes [if poorly controlled] and high blood pressure may also be factors.

 According to experts, miscarriage is not necessarily caused by exercising, lifting heavy objects or having sexual relations. It is unlikely that a fall, a minor blow, or a sudden fright will cause miscarriage. One reference says; the fetus is unlikely to be harmed by an injury unless the injury is serious enough to threaten your own life.

                                                                                   CHAGAS’

Chagas disease comes from a parasitic transmitted through the feces of a blood sucking insect commonly called the kissing bug. The disease is endemic in rural areas from Mexico to Argentina. An estimated one and a half two million Mexicans are affected with parasite.

 However, chagas’ disease is spreading to other part of the world. One way is through blood transfusions. Mexicans biologist Bert Kohlmann explains: we have already got reports from Australia, Europe, the United States of America and Canada of infections through blood transfusions.

 Migrants from the Americas who are usually healthy give blood and nobody in those other places even thinks about screening for chagas. The world health organization estimates that in the western hemisphere, 16 to 18 million people are infected with the disease and 100 million more are at risk. At present, there is no cure for the disease [chagas], which is often fatal.