Soldeu (Andorra), April 21 abr (EFE).- Last Wednesday, Ibero-America confirmed its support for a new initiative to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of Chagas, a disease endemic to Latin America, but that is progressively expanding to diverse areas of the USA, Europe, Canada, Japan, and Australia. <\/p>\n
The Ibero-American initiative on Congenital Chagas<\/strong> to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of the disease is one of the four new cooperation proposals approved in the framework of the XXVII Ibero-American Summit<\/strong>, held in Andorra, according to a statement released last Wednesday by the Ibero-American General Secretariat (Segib).<\/p>\n The proposal, which was put forward by the Governments of Argentina and Brazil, with the promotion of Mundo Sano<\/strong>, an Argentine Foundation, is also supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), the Evandro Chagas Institute of Brazil, and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).<\/p>\n \u201cThis 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 World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), along with other key stakeholders\u201d, declared in a statement Silvia Gold<\/strong>, president of Mundo Sano<\/strong>, a foundation that works to reduce the impact of neglected diseases.<\/p>\n According to the experts, Chagas disease<\/strong>, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi<\/em>, can be cured if treated shortly after infection. According to the PAHO, Chagas disease, of rural origin but with an increasing urban presence, is transmitted by a vector in 80% of the cases (through the faeces or urine of several types of bugs), but also through blood transfusions, contaminated food, and from mother to child. <\/p>\n
\nHowever, in the chronic stage, the disease can cause heart complications or digestive or neurological alterations, or both, and may lead to sudden death over time; therefore, disease prevention has become a priority. <\/p>\n