Poverty, Migration, and Chagas Disease

Purpose of Review Chagas disease is among the most serious problems for public health in Latin America. Although the causative agent Trypanosoma cruzi and its triatomine insect vectors are widely distributed from the northern United States of America (USA) to southern Argentina, almost all human cases of infection are recorded from Latin American countries. The disease is associated to poorly constructed houses, in rural and periurban areas throughout Latin America, and to very low socioeconomic conditions. This article aims to review the different variables involved in the persistence of the different routes of transmission in endemic and non-endemic countries. Recent Findings Despite the efforts made by the governments of Latin American countries to control Chagas disease under the coordination of the World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), there are still extensive areas where vector transmission is present due to different causes: colonization fronts and land-use change, human migration, deforestation, mining and industrial crops, among others. In the same way, the increase in environmental temperature accelerates the speed of vector transmission. On the other hand, human migration to non-endemic countries in search of better living conditions has changed the panorama of distribution of Chagas disease globally. Globalization of Chagas disease has become a widespread public health and medical problem that requires to implement new prevention and control measures in non-endemic regions. The evidence shows that there are different factors involved in new epidemiological scenarios in endemic areas that require the implementation of strategies and policies to mitigate the transmission of the parasite to humans. Likewise, the implementation of health policies is required for the management and treatment of infected patients and to overcome barriers to access to available drugs.

Automated summary

Chagas disease is a serious public health problem in Latin America, associated with poverty and poor housing conditions. Despite efforts by governments and the WHO/PAHO to control the disease, various factors such as human migration, deforestation, and climate change contribute to its continued transmission.