A manifesto includes the opinions of patients to act before the year 2030

Following a public consultation and expert advice, The World Health Organization developed the Roadmap for Neglected Diseases of the planet. One of them is Chagas disease. It was stipulated that by the year 2030 the elimination of this parasitic infection should be achieved as a public health problem.

There are only 7 years left for that term, and still the situation has not changed much. For this reason, the scientific community, managers, specialists and people affected by Chagas launched a manifesto days ago to advance in the control of the disease as a public health problem.

They are part of the Chagas Disease Clinical Research Platform and the Global Chagas Coalition. They met at the X Meeting of the Chagas Platform, Colombia and in a document they set out the priorities for action.

It is necessary that more people have easy access to tests to detect the infection and receive adequate care

The manifesto arose after a deep reflection among the scientific community, managers of health programs, specialists and people affected by the disease. The Manifesto establishes 6 commitments. One of them is that access to diagnosis, treatment and comprehensive care must be improved for people affected by Chagas disease in all its dimensions.

This implies that the implementation of decentralized comprehensive care routes at the first health level is guaranteed. Simplified diagnostic algorithms adapted for use in primary care should also be adopted and systematic screening of women of reproductive age, pregnant women and babies should be carried out.

Another claim of the manifesto is that investment in research and development should be encouraged to obtain new tools to make diagnosis and therapeutics safer and easier.

Infected kissing bugs can transmit the parasite that causes Chagas disease

“This includes research to optimize current diagnostic algorithms and treatment regimens, as well as to find biomarkers that identify those in whom organ involvement may progress and unequivocally certify therapeutic response in chronic patients who have received treatment,” they stated in the document. This was clarified because not all people with the infection have disease progression.

They called for expanding the mandatory notification systems for Chagas cases and its clinical complications, and for strengthening access to tools for training and consulting health personnel and those affected. They demanded that “articulation between all the actors involved in comprehensive care routes be stimulated and that the participation of affected people and their associations be guaranteed in the design and implementation of strategies adapted to the epidemiological and sociocultural contexts of their communities.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), said: “Chagas is a disease that few know about, although it affects millions of people. I call on governments, health personnel and community workers to make additional efforts and focus their attention on the most vulnerable populations; and thus work together so that soon, Chagas is a disease eliminated as a public health problem”.

Chagas affects more than 6 million people worldwide, most of them in Latin America. In this region, 30,000 cases and 10,000 deaths are recorded each year.