Source: Doctor Gator - College of Medicine News
By Kaitlyn Shehorn, Danielle Ivanov
Growing up in the small, coastal town of Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, first-year University of Florida College of Medicine student Rodrigo Alcala-Arana was surrounded by kind neighbors, delicious fried fish, and lots of dancing.
He enjoyed spending time outdoors, learning to spearfish and playing on his family’s farm, where el chipo – a triatomine insect often referred to as a “kissing bug” in English – was common.
But the vibrant city was also home to a deadly and neglected tropical...