The continuous challenge of Chagas disease treatment: bridging evidence-based guidelines, access to healthcare, and human rights

Identifying Barriers and Facilitators for Home Reconstruction for Prevention of Chagas Disease: An Interview Study in Rural Loja Province, Ecuador

“…There is, unfortunately, a long history of neocolonial exploitation of communities in the global south, which may make such trust difficult [30]. In addition, at the local level, there is a distrustful relationship between the government and the impoverished rural communities, partly due to populist politics, neoliberal policies, and a low level of enforcement of citizenship rights [31,32]. These policy choices have created a sense of abandonment among rural populations, who face limited access to education and health services-services that are usually located in the urban or periurban areas.…”

The CUIDA Chagas Project: towards the elimination of congenital transmission of Chagas disease in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Paraguay

“…Of the aforementioned number of infected people, approximately 1.12 million are women of childbearing age (WCBA) 4 , and the congenital transmission rate approaches 5%, with higher rates in high-risk endemic areas 5 . Poor and vulnerable populations in endemic countries are especially affected, due to a multitude of barriers that prevent them from obtaining the assistance they need 2,6 .…”

“…Some international strategies and action plans, such as the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) initiative from PAHO and the roadmap for NTDs from the World Health Organization (WHO), have been launched to achieve the elimination of congenital transmission of CD, but many countries do not yet have proper programs in place 4 . Scarcity of diagnostic tools and treatment options, poor treatment adherence, a lack of knowledge and understanding among health providers and people at risk, socio-economic vulnerabilities of endemic areas, and low social mobilization only aggravate the problem 6 , as does the COVID-19 pandemic 10 .…”

New Contributions to the Elimination of Chagas Disease as a Public Health Problem: Towards the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030

“…This means that 15 countries will have to achieve interruption of transmission through the four main transmission routes (vector, transfusion, transplantation, and congenital transmission), with 75% antiparasitic treatment coverage of the target population. Faced with these new challenges, the coming years will require strong integrated approaches including different aspects, such as evidence-based guidelines, access to healthcare, and human rights [16].…”