[EQ] Chagas disease: a Latin American health problem becoming a world health problem

Chagas disease: a Latin American health problem becoming a world health problem

Schmunis GA, Yadon ZE.

Health Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control, Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office of the World Health Organization
Acta Trop. 2010 Jul-Aug;115(1-2):14-21. Epub 2009 Nov 20.

 

Abstract: http://bit.ly/dahWn8

Journal website: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0001706X

Link: http://bit.ly/bmGF6N

“…….Political repression and/or economic stagnation stimulated the flow of migration from the 17 Latin American countries endemic for Chagas disease to developed countries. Because of this migration, Chagas disease, an autochthonous disease of the Continental Western Hemisphere is becoming a global health problem.

 

In 2006, 3.8% of the 80,522 immigrants from those 17 countries to Australia were likely infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. In Canada in 2006, 3.5% of the 156,960 immigrants from Latin America whose country of origin was identified were estimated to have been infected.

In Japan in 2007, there were 80,912 immigrants from Brazil, 15,281 from Peru, and 19,413 from other South American countries whose country of origin was not identified, a portion of whom may have been also infected. In 15 countries of Europe in 2005, excluding Spain, 2.9% of the 483,074 legal Latin American immigrants were estimated to be infected with T. cruzi. By 2008, Spain had received 1,678,711 immigrants from Latin American endemic countries; of these, 5.2% were potentially infected with T. cruzi and 17,390 may develop Chagas disease.

Further, it was estimated that 24-92 newborns delivered by South American T. cruzi infected mothers in Spain may have been congenitally infected with T. cruzi in 2007. In the USA we estimated that 1.9% of approximately 13 million Latin American immigrants in 2000, and 2% of 17 million in 2007, were potentially infected with T. cruzi. Of these, 49,157 and 65,133 in 2000 and 2007 respectively, may have or may develop symptoms and signs of chronic Chagas disease. Governments should implement policies to prevent donations of blood and organs from T. cruzi infected donors.

 

Governments should implement policies to prevent donations of blood and organs from T. cruzi infected donors. In addition, an infrastructure that assures detection and treatment of acute and chronic cases as well as congenital infection should be developed……”

 

Global travel spreads Chagas outside of Latin America

WHO – Geneva 21 June 2010 --
Chagas, often transmitted by 'kissing bugs', has in recent years been increasingly discovered outside of Latin America. Even though 10 million people are infected worldwide, the Chagas disease is curable if treatment begins soon after infection.
Read the fact sheet to learn more about Chagas

 

Key facts

·         An estimated 10 million people are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (the parasite that causes Chagas disease) worldwide, mostly in Latin America.

·         Chagas disease was once entirely confined to the Region of the Americas – principally Latin America – but it has now spread to other continents.

·         Chagas disease is curable if treatment is initiated soon after infection.

·         Up to 30% of chronically infected people develop cardiac alterations and up to 10% develop digestive, neurological or mixed alterations, for which specific treatment may become necessary.

·         Vector control is the most useful method to prevent Chagas disease in Latin America.

·         Blood screening is vital to prevent infection through transfusion and organ transplantation.

 

 

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