Chagas Disease

About Chagas Disease:

• It is also called American trypanosomiasis and is a communicable parasitic disease.
• It is caused by the parasite protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi.
• The disease is named after physician Carlos Chagas who first detected it in a Brazillian child in 1909.
• Symptoms:
  • Fever, headaches, rashes and inflammatory nodules, nausea or diarrhoea and muscle or abdominal pain.
  • A majority of the patients (70-80 per cent) show an asymptomatic clinical course throughout their lives, making early detection challenging.
• Transmission of the disease:
  • The parasites are mainly transmitted by a family of bugs called ‘triatomines’, also known as the ‘kissing bug’.
  • An individual can also contract this disease through congenital transmission (pregnant woman to their baby), blood transfusions, organ transplantation, consumption of uncooked food contaminated with the faecal matter of infected bugs or even accidental laboratory exposure.
  • The disease cannot propagate by casual contact with infected humans or animals. 
• Geographical spread: The disease remains most prevalent in Latin America. The most important vectors are found in the rural parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, and Central America. 
• Treatment:
  • There are currently no vaccines available for Chagas disease.
  • The disease can be treated with antiparasitic medicines Benznidazole and Nifurtimox.