About World Chagas Disease Day
- The 2025 theme, “Prevent, Control, Care: Everyone’s Role in Chagas Disease,” calls for global action to improve awareness, prevention, and access to care for those affected.
- The World Chagas Disease Day was celebrated for the first time in 2020.
- Over 7 million people are currently infected worldwide, with more than 100 million at risk, and an estimated 10,000–12,000 deaths annually.
- The World Health Organization and partners are urging governments, health systems, and communities to strengthen early diagnosis, treatment, and comprehensive care for all.
Chagas Disease
- Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.
- The parasite is primarily transmitted to humans by triatomine bugs—commonly called “kissing bugs”—but can also spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants, from mother to child during pregnancy, and, rarely, through contaminated food or laboratory accidents.
- It is often termed the “silent or silenced disease” due to its asymptomatic nature and prevalence among marginalised populations.
- Chagas disease is endemic in 21 countries in Latin America but is increasingly detected in the United States, Europe, and other regions due to migration.
