A Wake-Up Call on Chagas Disease’s Hidden Dangers
When I was a kid, I was terrified of the nighttime “monster” known as Chagas because of how deadly it is. Bolivian-born Barcelona resident Emiliana Rodrguez has a clear memory of a soccer player collapsing on the pitch with Chagas illness.
She now associated the night with the dreadful disease she had experienced. Approximately 12,000 people every year, including Rodrguez’s buddy, fall victim to Chagas disease, which is spread by bloodsucking triatomine bugs often known as kissing or vampire bugs.
Rodriguez learned she was a Chagas disease carrier after her first pregnancy, which she experienced at the age of 42.
Her fear and shock were so great that she decided to get treatment to protect her pregnant child from the parasite. Thankfully, the newborn daughter did not have the condition.
Mexican Elvira Idalia Hernández Cuevas had never heard of Chagas disease until her daughter, then age 18, was diagnosed with it.
Hernández was frightened and despondent due to the lack of attention paid to the sickness. Even though she encountered doctors and nurses who knew nothing about Chagas disease.
She was able to get her daughter the care she needed with the assistance of a relative who worked in the field.
Romea’s sign (right eye edoema) caused by an acute case of Chagas disease.
For decades, people in Latin America, North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia have been exposed to Chagas disease, which was discovered and named after a Brazilian doctor, Carlos Ribeiro Justiniano Chagas.
Most active at night, kissing bugs may be discovered in the walls of low-income houses in rural and suburban locations.
The T. cruzi parasite is spread from person to person by the bites of these bugs and their subsequent faeces. Infection may occur if you scratch the affected region or come into touch with the bug’s faeces.
Millions of individuals with Chagas disease, yet most have no idea they have it. Chagas disease affects an estimated 6–7 million individuals globally, with the greatest rates in Mexico, Central America, and South America, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The shockingly low worldwide case detection rate of 10% greatly complicates treatment and preventative efforts.
Hernández’s story highlights the fact that many medical personnel lack a proper grasp of Chagas disease. This ignorance prevents the illness from being diagnosed and treated in a timely manner.
The neglected tropical illness Chagas is not given enough priority in international health policy. According to Colin Forsyth, research manager at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), Chagas disease is difficult to diagnose and cure because it occurs deep inside the body.
People in these communities, who are more likely to come from low-income households, have less say in shaping healthcare policy.
As Chagas disease travels to other continents, it becomes a worldwide concern. Blood transfusions, organ transplants, and mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy and delivery are all potential routes of transmission.
The lack of financial incentives for pharmaceutical firms to create more effective treatments has hampered efforts to eradicate Chagas disease.
The spread of Chagas disease may be slowed by better treatment choices, but development in this field has been sluggish.
Meanwhile, activists like Elvira Idalia Hernández Cuevas, the current president of the International Federation of Associations of People Affected by Chagas condition (FINDECHAGAS), work to bring greater attention to the condition and help those who suffer from it.
In order to raise awareness about Chagas disease, Emiliana Rodrguez is participating in a campaign organised by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
She hopes that more people will learn about the condition and have the courage to be tested and get treatment as a result.
On April 14, the anniversary of Carlos Chagas’s discovery of the first human case of Chagas disease in 1909, the World Health Organisation (WHO) created World Chagas Disease Day.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) plans to prevent, control, and eradicate Chagas disease and other specified illnesses by the year 2030.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests applying caulk to cover crevices, taking away possible insect habitats near houses, installing screens on doors and windows.
And bringing pets inside at night to reduce infestations. Carefully capturing a kissing bug and transporting it to a local health agency or university laboratory for identification is necessary in the event that one is discovered.
The danger of Chagas disease is like that of the monsters from children’s stories that lurk behind closed doors. The World Health Organisation and other international organisations must do all in their power to eliminate Chagas and other neglected tropical illnesses.
By telling this tale and increasing understanding, we can aid in the fight to end this illness in its silent stages.
I can’t take this hush any longer. I’d want Chagas to be a topic of conversation and awareness. I hope that individuals will be tested and start receiving care. This is Emiliana Rodriguez.