Between 2019 and 2023, Copiapó is the commune with the most reported positive cases of this disease.
Every April 14, World Chagas Disease Day is commemorated with the aim of raising awareness about this disease, the importance of early detection and equitable access to clinical care for the disease.
In this framework, the Atacama Health SEREMI, together with the Health Service (SSA), held a talk, as well as an educational workshop aimed at migrants to reinforce research and access to health, in the Bishopric of Copiapó , in which 51 people participated, of which 36 were investigated in a timely manner.
Regarding this, the head of Health in the region, Jéssica Rojas Gahona, indicated that “for this year the motto for the preventive campaign on Chagas is “early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up”, which invites us as a sector to raise awareness. “to patients, their families and health officials about the importance of a timely diagnosis and lifelong support of people affected by this disease.”
Nancy Araya, in charge of the SSA Chagas Program, joined in her words, who pointed out that “this was a very important day, where we made known and addressed all the information about Chagas and pregnancy so that all women of childbearing age can take “Awareness of how necessary it is to take this test before planning your pregnancy, due to the risk of vertical transmission and the possibility of being able to eliminate this transmission.”
Meanwhile, Luis Sotillet, internist, in charge of the Emerging Diseases Program at the Copiapó Regional Hospital, said “although here in Chile there is very good control, in the South American region there is still a lot of transmission of this disease due to vinchuca. That is why it is important that people who arrive in this country are tested to detect or rule out this disease early, especially if we have family members with this disease or risk factors such as the presence of vinchucas in nearby places.”
Likewise, the person in charge of the Social Pastoral of the Copiapó Diocese and in charge of the Migrant Pastoral, Jorge Alfaro, pointed out that his objective “is to accompany and support migrants, so that they can be well received and provide them with education. And that is why we are open to participating in any possible space so that it directly benefits our migrant brothers.”
Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which affects between six and seven million people worldwide. On our continent, the vinchuca is the main vector of this disease. This insect bites exposed areas of the skin and deposits its feces, which contain parasites, in the affected area. When a person scratches and then touches their eyes, mouth, or an open wound, parasites can enter the body, triggering infection.
Other routes of transmission of this disease are orally, through the consumption of contaminated food; the transfusion route; the route through organ transplantation and the transplacental route, transmitted from mother to child.
National Program for the Prevention and Control of Chagas Disease
In our country, significant achievements have been achieved in the control of Chagas disease, such as the interruption of vector transmission (recertified in 2016 by teams of PAHO/WHO experts) and significant advances in the elimination of household infestation of Chagas. vinchucas. Likewise, significant progress has been made in the control of transfusion transmission. Along the same lines, the absence of cases and outbreaks due to oral transmission has been determined.
In Chile, it has been identified that the most common route of transmission of Chagas disease is from mother to child. For this reason, the National Plan for the Prevention and Control of Chagas Disease has committed to controlling transmission through this route, ensuring access to preventive medical care. Since 2014, mandatory screening for this disease has been implemented in pregnant women, allowing for early diagnosis and ensuring adequate follow-up for both the mother and the son or daughter.
Regional situation
“In our region, when reviewing the period between 2019 and 2023, it is possible to show that the year with the most cases reported on the Epivigilia platform was 2019 with 352 cases. 2023 follows with 260 cases; 2022 with 170 cases and 2020 with 157 cases. The observed period also shows that the largest number of reported cases correspond to women,” highlighted the Seremi de Salud.
When observing the distribution of cases by commune in Atacama, it is the regional capital that obtains the majority of accumulated cases in the period reviewed, with 513 cases. It is followed by Vallenar with 230 cases, Alto del Carmen with 121 cases and Diego de Almagro with 92 cases.
