Bed bugs have long been assumed to be essentially a harmless nuisance, but research increasingly suggests they can transmit Chagga's Disease, the same infection carried by "Kissing Bugs" (so called because they frequently bite a person near the mouth).
Interesting. I am in NJ and someone I work with just got cardiomyopathy from Chagas (heart down to like 25% efficiency now), no idea how she picked it up. I will ask her if she ever had a bed bug infestation.