Quick summary: Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and, per CDC, usually spreads through triatomine bugs (kissing bugs). The CDC’s Guatemala travel page includes the triatomine-bug route of infection, and PAHO names T. dimidiata as a vector in Central America. CDC says it is most common in rural areas of Mexico and Central and South America, and the bugs hide in walls and roofs by day and feed at night. There is no vaccine and no preventive drug; CDC’s traveler advice is to stay in well-built or screened rooms, sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets, cover up and use repellent, and avoid raw salads, unpeeled fruit and unpasteurized juices. Treatment with benznidazole or nifurtimox works best early (WHO, CDC). Only a healthcare provider can diagnose it.
This page collects what three health authorities publish: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), all read on October 15, 2026. It is not medical advice. For pregnancy-specific travel questions, see our pregnant travel in Guatemala guide.
What the CDC’s Guatemala page says
The CDC destination page for Guatemala carries these two lines on how people can get infected:
- “Accidentally rub feces (poop) of the triatomine bug into the bug bite, other breaks in the skin, your eyes, or mouth”
- “From pregnant woman to her baby, contaminated blood products (transfusions), or contaminated food or drink.”
The triatomine bug is the insect CDC’s About Chagas page names as the usual source of Chagas disease. The same Guatemala page has an Avoid bugs section that includes dengue, and it also covers malaria; for malaria by destination see malaria in Guatemala, and for shots see vaccines for Guatemala.
Where the risk is in Guatemala
| What | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Most common in rural areas of Mexico and Central and South America | CDC, About Chagas |
| Where bugs live | Wall or roof cracks of homes and nearby structures such as chicken coops, pens and warehouses, in rural or suburban areas | WHO fact sheet |
| Indoors | Cracks and holes of poorly constructed houses | CDC, How Chagas spreads |
| Outdoors | Rock, wood and brush piles; rodent nests and animal burrows; dog kennels; chicken coops | CDC, How Chagas spreads |
| Vectors in Central America | “the R. prolixus in Colombia, Venezuela and Central America; the T. dimidiata in Ecuador and Central America” | PAHO |
| Guatemala milestone | “Interruption of vector transmission of T. cruzi by R. prolixus in Guatemala (2008)” | PAHO |
| Verified interruption, entire territory | Three countries in the Americas: Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay (Guatemala is not one of them) | WHO fact sheet |
The 2008 milestone covers one bug species. PAHO also lists T. dimidiata as a vector in Ecuador and Central America, and WHO’s list of countries where interruption of domiciliary vectorial transmission has been verified across their entire national territories names only Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. A separate passage on the same PAHO page groups Guatemala with countries that eliminated R. prolixus as the main vector between 2009 and 2010, so the year differs within PAHO’s own text.
Global scale. CDC says about 8 million people globally, including an estimated 280,000 in the United States, have Chagas disease, often without knowing it. WHO’s fact sheet puts deaths at more than 10 000 a year and says more than 100 million people are at risk of infection.
None of these sources gives Chagas risk by Guatemalan department or by tourist destination, so this page does not either.
How it spreads
| Route | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bug droppings (usual route, per CDC) | The bugs bite exposed skin, such as the face, and defecate or urinate near the bite; the parasite enters when a person rubs the feces into the bite, other skin breaks, the eyes or the mouth | WHO; CDC |
| Mother to baby | WHO says congenital transmission became the main route worldwide in recent years, with over 10 000 new cases a year | WHO |
| Blood transfusion | Listed among routes CDC describes as rare | CDC |
| Organ transplant | “Through an organ transplanted from an infected donor” | CDC |
| Food or drink | Contaminated food or drink, listed among routes CDC describes as rare | CDC |
| Person to person | Not like a cold or the flu, and not through casual contact | CDC |
How to lower your risk (CDC traveler steps)
CDC says “you may come in contact with infected triatomine bugs when traveling to rural areas in Latin America.” Its list for visitors to areas with Chagas risk (prevention page updated February 4, 2026):
| Step | CDC wording |
|---|---|
| Where you sleep | “Stay in well-built places (like air-conditioned or screened hotel rooms or houses). This lowers the risk of contact with infected triatomine bugs, which often live in poorly built dwellings and are active at night.” |
| Bed nets | “Sleep under bed nets treated with long-lasting insecticide.” |
| Clothing and repellent | “Wear clothing that covers your skin and apply bug spray on skin that’s exposed.” |
| Food | “Avoid eating salads, raw vegetables, unpeeled fruits, and unpasteurized fruit juices.” |
| What does not work | “Roach traps don’t work on triatomine bugs, but properly treated bed nets and curtains do.” |
On the region-wide picture, CDC says “Improving housing quality and using insecticides indoors have significantly cut down the spread of Chagas disease.” For food and water hygiene in Guatemala more broadly, see water safety in Guatemala.
Symptoms and the two phases
| Phase | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Acute | Lasts about two months after infection (WHO); symptoms often mild or the infection goes unnoticed (CDC); one possible sign is eyelid swelling, called Romaña’s sign (CDC), and WHO says such characteristic first visible signs appear much less frequently |
| Chronic | Can last many years or a lifetime; most people have no symptoms, but CDC says about 20 to 30% develop serious heart or digestive problems |
| Long term | WHO: one to three decades after infection, up to a third of patients have cardiac disorders and up to 1 in 10 have digestive, neurological or mixed alterations |
CDC sums it up: “The early stage, or acute infection, of Chagas disease often has mild symptoms or goes unnoticed. Chronic infection can lead to serious heart and digestive system issues.”
Testing and treatment
- Diagnosis. CDC: “Only a healthcare provider can diagnose Chagas disease. Lab tests can confirm Chagas disease using a small sample of your blood.” PAHO says the definitive diagnosis of T. cruzi infection depends on a positive result on at least two different serologic tests.
- When to talk to a provider. CDC: “If you have symptoms of Chagas disease, talk with your healthcare providers—especially if you have traveled to an area where Chagas disease is widespread.”
- Medicines. WHO names benznidazole and nifurtimox and says both are fully effective in curing the disease if given early, in the acute phase. CDC says treatment works best when started early but can be used at any stage, and that in the United States benznidazole is FDA approved for children 2 to 12 and nifurtimox (Lampit) for children from birth to under 18 (CDC treatment page, updated February 1, 2024). CDC adds that “Your healthcare provider can talk with experts at CDC to decide the best treatment for you.”
- Pregnancy. WHO: “Benznidazole and nifurtimox should not be administered to pregnant women or people with kidney or liver failure.”
Blood donation after living in Guatemala
WHO says universal screening of blood donors is fully implemented in all continental Latin American countries, and that Canada and the United States test donors identified by a questionnaire as being at risk. CDC’s clinical page says US donors who test positive on both the screening and the supplemental test can no longer donate blood, and that blood donor screening tests are not appropriate for diagnosis, so additional testing is indicated.
Related
- Pregnant travel in Guatemala
- Malaria in Guatemala by destination
- Vaccines for Guatemala
- Travel insurance for Guatemala
Sources
Read October 15, 2026: CDC, Guatemala traveler destination page; CDC About Chagas disease, How Chagas spreads, Preventing Chagas (updated February 4, 2026), Treatment and Clinical testing and diagnosis (both updated February 1, 2024); PAHO, Chagas disease topic page; WHO, Chagas disease fact sheet (8 April 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there Chagas disease in Guatemala?
Health sources point to a risk in the region. CDC says Chagas disease is most common in rural areas of Mexico and Central and South America, and the CDC’s Guatemala travel page includes a line about accidentally rubbing feces of the triatomine bug into the bite. PAHO names T. dimidiata as a vector in Ecuador and Central America, and dates the interruption of vector transmission by a different bug, R. prolixus, in Guatemala to 2008.
How do you get Chagas disease?
CDC says it usually spreads through contact with triatomine bugs, sometimes called kissing bugs. CDC’s Guatemala page describes accidentally rubbing the bug’s feces into the bite, other breaks in the skin, your eyes or mouth, and also lists transmission from a pregnant woman to her baby, through contaminated blood products (transfusions), or through contaminated food or drink. WHO says congenital (mother-to-baby) transmission became the main route for transmission worldwide in recent years. CDC’s How Chagas spreads page describes transfusions, organ transplants and contaminated food or drink as rare routes. CDC says it does not spread from person to person like a cold or the flu.
Is there a vaccine or pill to prevent Chagas before traveling to Guatemala?
No. CDC says there are no vaccines or drugs that can prevent Chagas disease at this time, and that the best way to prevent infection is to avoid bites from triatomine bugs. WHO also says there is no vaccine.
How do I avoid kissing bugs in Guatemala?
CDC’s prevention page for travelers lists: stay in well-built places such as air-conditioned or screened hotel rooms or houses; sleep under bed nets treated with long-lasting insecticide; wear clothing that covers your skin and use bug spray on exposed skin; and avoid salads, raw vegetables, unpeeled fruits and unpasteurized fruit juices. CDC adds that roach traps don’t work on triatomine bugs.
Should I get tested for Chagas after a trip to Guatemala?
CDC says only a healthcare provider can diagnose Chagas disease, that lab tests on a small blood sample can confirm it, and that if you have symptoms you should talk with your healthcare providers, especially if you have traveled to an area where Chagas disease is widespread. This page does not tell you whether to test; that decision is for your provider.
Can Chagas disease be treated?
Yes. WHO says benznidazole and nifurtimox kill the parasite and are fully effective in curing the disease if given early, in the acute phase, and that efficacy falls the longer a person has been infected. CDC says antiparasitic treatment works best when started early but can be used at any stage. WHO says neither drug should be given to pregnant women or people with kidney or liver failure.
Did Guatemala eliminate Chagas?
The sources do not say so. PAHO lists the interruption of vector transmission of T. cruzi by the bug R. prolixus in Guatemala in 2008, and PAHO also names T. dimidiata as a vector in Ecuador and Central America. WHO says interruption of domiciliary vectorial transmission has been verified in the entire national territories of three countries in the Region of the Americas: Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Guatemala is not one of those three.
