Chagas disease – a parasitic infection that affects an estimated 8 million people worldwide, mostly in Latin America – is drawing concern in the United States as well. The infection can lead to serious heart problems. And yet, the disease remains “highly overlooked” in the U.S., and “urgent action is required to implement national and local programs, bolstering health care responses and advancing research efforts,” a University of Colorado Department of Medicine faculty member says.
Andrés Henao-Martínez, MD, an associate professor in the CU Division of Infectious Diseases, is co-author of a viewpoint article published in May in The Lancet Regional Health Americas. The article was written on behalf of the U.S. Chagas Research Consortium, a group of clinicians and researchers who advocate on behalf of people nationwide living with the disease.
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The article calls for “focused research and public health initiatives, with U.S. research institutions playing a crucial role in developing new treatments and identifying biomarkers” for Chagas disease. It also says that infected people in the U.S. have “limited access to diagnosis and treatment.”
Chagas disease is a vector-borne disease caused by a parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. It usually spreads through contact with the feces of infected triatomine bugs, also known as kissing bugs. In some cases, infected mothers pass on the disease to their children. In other cases, the disease is transmitted through contaminated food, water, or blood transfusions.
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Various species of kissing bugs have been reported in most U.S. states that are primarily in the southern half of the nation, including Colorado.
Henao-Martínez has published many research papers on Chagas disease. To learn more, we spoke with him about Chagas disease and his recent article.
Photo at top: A triatomine bug, also known as the kissing bug. Photo by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.