- The initiative “Not a single baby with Chagas disease: the path towards new
generations free of Chagas disease” was approved by the Heads of States and
Government of Ibero-American countries at the “XXVII Ibero-American summit”,
held in Andorra. - The countries will work together to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of
Chagas disease
Buenos Aires, March 2022.- Mundo Sano Foundation welcomes its designation as
Technical Unit of the initiative “Not a single baby with Chagas disease: the path towards
new generations free of Chagas disease”, which aims at contributing to the elimination of
mother-to-child transmission of the disease from a multidimensional approach,
considering the strategies for the control and prevention of other transmission routes.
The main objectives include the strengthening of health systems in terms of prevention,
early diagnosis, treatment and monitoring on Chagas disease, with emphasis on women of
childbearing age, pregnant women and newborns.
At present, the initiative has four full members (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Spain) and
four guest members (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay). The presidency of
the initiative is held by Brazil, and the Technical Unit, by Mundo Sano Foundation, an
organization that, along with Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and ISGlobal, has
provided technical support during the entire formulation process.
This renewed commitment of Ibero-American countries to international health
cooperation, and specifically to people affected with Chagas disease, is very encouraging.
“This is an important step forward because it contributes to the visibility of this disease
and its inclusion on the global agenda; in addition, it complements the efforts being made
in this sense by the WHO and the PAHO, along with other key stakeholders”, stated Dr
Silvia Gold, President of Mundo Sano Foundation. “We are in the last decade of the 2030
Agenda; it is necessary to redouble efforts in the area of international cooperation and
reinforce multilateralism”, said Dr Gold.
