The epidemiology of Chagas disease in the Americas
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Published version
Author(s)
Cucunubá, Zulma M
Gutiérrez-Romero, Sebastián A
Ramírez, Juan-David
Velásquez-Ortiz, Natalia
Ceccarelli, Soledad
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Chagas disease is a complex parasitic zoonosis that still threatens public health across the Americas. Initiatives to control Trypanosoma cruzi transmission via blood transfusion and non-native triatomine-bug vectors have yielded crucial advances; native vectors, however, actively bridge wild and domestic/peri-domestic transmission cycles throughout the region, and tens of thousands of people become infected each year. Oral-transmission outbreaks, urbanisation, and vertical transmission are additional/emerging issues calling for innovative strategic thinking. While critical for advocacy and sustained public health action, assessing Chagas disease burden remains difficult; the often-asymptomatic nature of T. cruzi infection, healthcare access limitations, pervasive underreporting, and other methodological hurdles inherent to reliably measuring incidence, prevalence, and disease progression all contribute to the difficulty. Whether and how parasite, vector, and host genetic makeups affect transmission dynamics and epidemiology is also unclear. Continued high-quality research and long-term, adaptive strategies combining vector control surveillance with enhanced case detection and integral patient care remain critical to effectively address the ethical and societal challenge of Chagas disease control.
Date Issued
2024-09
Date Acceptance
2024-08-19
Citation
The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 2024, 37
ISSN
2667-193X
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Journal / Book Title
The Lancet Regional Health - Americas
Volume
37
Copyright Statement
© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2024.100881
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
100881
Date Publish Online
2024-09-13