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This investigation by KXAS-TV and The Dallas Morning News revealed kissing bugs may pose a much more significant threat to human health in Texas than the CDC has ever indicated. The bugs carry a dangerous parasite, a silent killer that can lead to heart failure and death. They have already infected hundreds of thousands of people in South America, Central America and Mexico. But, our team of reporters and producers discovered kissing bugs have also infected at least ten people in Texas. A fact revealed for the first time exclusively in the first report. Hundreds of dogs in the state are sick and many are dying. Even more concerning, the human and animal toll may be much higher than the numbers show, because few people or dogs are ever tested for the disease. This series was also the first to demonstrate how the nation's blood supply may be at risk from kissing bugs and a lack of regulations to prevent the spread of the parasite through blood transfusions. Our reports had an immediate impact, alerting thousands of people to the presence of the bugs and the dangers they bring. Hundreds of Texans responded by sending bugs to the state lab for testing and other news organizations across the country picked up our reports taking our findings to an even wider audience. https://youtu.be/a2xykL8ixSs