Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis): An acute/chronic condition
30 June 09 | Geneva
Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is acute/chronic condition that affects millions of people in the Americas, caused by a protozoan parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi.
Parasites are transmitted to humans in three main ways: by the infected faeces of blood-sucking bugs that typically hide in the cracks of walls during the day and emerge at night to feed on human blood; through transfusion with infected blood; or congenitally from an infected mother to her fetus.
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This year marks the 100th anniversary since the eminent Brazilian physician and researcher, Carlos Justiniano Ribeiro das Chagas first described the disease.
“The majority of infected people do not show symptoms of the disease, but up to 30% will present heart alterations and up to 10% digestive or even neurological manifestations.”
Dr. Pedro Albajar Vinas, Technical Officer, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Geneva.
“...we must maintain the control of blood banks for at least 20 years or more all over the world, considering the blood transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi ...."
"... The criteria we have now is very very poor ... we need more efficient markers of cure and evolution of Chagas disease ... we must maintain Chagas disease in the agenda of researchers ...”
Professor Joao Pinto Dias, Researcher, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil.
There is no available vaccine against Chagas disease, but the drugs in current use are 100% effective if treatment is initiated at its very early stage. Drug efficacy decreases with longer duration of the infection, which may cause irreversible damage.
Chagas disease which was once almost entirely confined to Latin America has now been detected in Canada, the United States, Europe and Western Pacific countries.