Over the last 40 years, the parasite-driven disease Chagas has breached the borders of what was once its traditional territory, spreading from Latin America into the United States and Europe, according to a new report from the American Heart Association (AHA).
There are an estimated 300,000 people currently infected with Chagas in the United States.
In a statement published in the journal Circulation, the association summarized aspects of the disease along with its spread. Chagas infection occurs when feces from a blood-sucking parasite — Trypanosoma cruzi — enters the skin through a bite or in the eye. Infection can also be passed through contaminated food or drink, from pregnant mothers to their babes, and through blood transfusions/organ transplants. Traditionally, those insects have been found in Central and South America, but now they are spreading to the Southern United States.
“This statement aims to increase global awareness among physicians who manage patients with Chagas disease outside of traditionally endemic environments,” said Maria Carmo Pereira Nunes, co-chair of the AHA committee that produced the statement. “This document will help healthcare providers and health systems outside of Latin America recognize, diagnose and treat Chagas disease and prevent further disease transmission.”
A further complication of the disease spread is that while Latin American doctors are used to the disease, doctors outside the region are mostly unaware of the infection — and its connection to heart disease. Nearly a third of patients develop chronic heart disease, though 60 to 70 percent of the infected never develop any symptoms. If caught early, however, the disease can be cured with medications that have a 60 to 90 percent success rate.