Chagas Disease: A Hidden Threat to Latin Americans?

[wolram]

This is a disease I have not heard of, and it seems not many Americans are aware of it, It seems it causes heart failure in many Latin Americans.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150909132742.htm
As it may not be detected by medical staff and it seems not many are aware of it, should it not be put up there with the Zica zirus?

 

[jim mcnamara]

Please see the Prevention section of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagas_disease

Without going into lots of details:
1. 72% reduction of new infections in the 'Southern cone' geographic area of infection as a result of education, blood screening, and testing for new cases.
Newly infections are readily treatable.

2. Chagas is very well known among physicians, it is a topic in Human Pathology in most medical schools.
If you traveled to Guyana, and came back to Britain with the early mild Chagas symptoms, and unless you told a physician you just traveled there, s/he would not see it. Because it is really rare in native British patients. Travel Medicine is a discipline that deals with diseases like this one.

3. See an upbeat point of view: http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/18/health/neglected-tropical-diseases-who/

'Neglected Tropical Diseases' are not economically or politically important in countries that have the resources to defeat these diseases. WHO is trying to reverse that kind of myopia. My opinion only.

 

[wolram]

Thank you for your reply jim macamara