PAHO and Unitaid launch collaboration to advance the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease

Geneva/Washington – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Unitaid today launched a five-year, US$ 2.6 million partnership to scale-up regional and national efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease.

Chagas is a neglected tropical disease endemic to Latin America, where it kills more people than any other parasite-borne infection. The infection is caused primarily by a blood-sucking triatomine bug, but the disease can also be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one million women of childbearing age are estimated to be infected, resulting in up to 15,000 infants born with the disease each year.

“Chagas disease holds a significant burden for more than 6 million people in 20 endemic countries of the Americas, many of them women and newborns”, said Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, Director of PAHO. “With this partnership, we expect to foster and accelerate investments and commitments so that every child, everywhere in the region is born free of Chagas and the mothers living with the disease receive the treatment they need”.

The fight against Chagas disease is complicated by several factors including its multiple means of transmission, through insect bites but also from the blood of an affected person or even by consumption of contaminated food. It is also largely asymptomatic, causing affected persons to go without medical attention until developing chronic infection, which is more difficult to treat. A lack in efficient diagnostic tools, long and difficult treatment, and gaps in policy and funding pose additional challenges.

“With less than 10 percent of people infected with Chagas disease worldwide diagnosed, and even fewer treated, Unitaid seeks to fill an enormous gap that leaves women and infants at serious risk of infection,” said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. “This first of its kind partnership between Unitaid and PAHO will ensure advances to Chagas-fighting tools can quickly become a reality for people across Latin America and beyond.”

The collaboration will leverage insights from another Unitaid-funded initiative, CUIDA Chagas, which aims to develop test, treat and care strategies that can be replicated in different countries and contexts. The project will determine the efficacy of new shorter treatment options for chronic Chagas disease, and validate ways to shorten the time needed for diagnosis.

PAHO will provide technical expertise to support the countries and institutions under the CUIDA Chagas project, namely, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay. The aim is to develop better ways to interrupt mother to child transmission of Chagas disease, and share key learnings and advances to benefit the entire region.

The PAHO and Unitaid partnership will amplify the impact of this work, ensuring that evidence directly informs policy guidance and quickly advances the wider use of more affordable point-of-care diagnostics, better counseling and treatment, and comprehensive care for women and newborns.

About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.

About PAHO

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) works to improve the health and well-being in countries of the Americas. Founded in 1902, it is the world’s oldest international public health agency and the specialized health agency of the Inter-American system. It also serves as the Regional Office of WHO for the Americas.

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World Chagas Day: Unitaid remains committed to improving access to testing and treatment to reduce mother-to-child transmission of Chagas  

Geneva – Up to seven million people worldwide are estimated to be infected with a disease that often presents no symptoms but can be life-threatening when left untreated. 

World Chagas Day, 14 April, raises awareness of this neglected disease, for which fewer than 10% of all those affected get diagnosed and only 1% receive appropriate care. 

Often referred to as a “silent disease” because it causes no or few symptoms, the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the critical need for increased screening, the lack of which poses a significant barrier to care for the 75 million people estimated to be at risk of infection.  

In Latin America, where it is endemic, Chagas disease causes more deaths each year than any other parasitic disease including malaria. Many of those at highest risk are among the poorest and most marginalized populations.   

Chagas disease is caused by the Trypanosoma crusi parasite, which is transmitted to humans through a bite from the triatomine insect, also known as the kissing bug. It can then be passed congenitally from mother to child, or through blood transfusion or organ donation. 

With more than a million women of childbearing age estimated to be infected with Chagas disease, preventing mother to child transmission is critical to slowing the spread of disease and averting illness. 

Global health agency Unitaid, jointly with the Brazilian Ministry of Health, has committed to improve access to affordable point-of-care tests, better treatment and comprehensive care for women and their infants. 

With systematic screening of women and babies, this work can substantially limit transmission and reduce the number of new infections each year, helping to avert more serious and costly health consequences later in life. 

In 30% of all people chronically infected, Chagas disease causes severe heart and gastrointestinal complications including stroke, heart attack and sudden death when left untreated. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimates that Chagas disease accounts for more than US$600 million in healthcare-related costs each year. 

Unitaid’s efforts, underway in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Paraguay, seek to demonstrate new approaches to testing, treatment and care for Chagas disease that will generate valuable evidence to facilitate the adoption of feasible and cost-effective health strategies for combatting Chagas disease across the region and globally. 

While most cases still occur in Latin America, the disease is increasingly spreading to other geographies. People have now been diagnosed with Chagas disease in 44 countries across the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Media contact:

For more information and media requests:

Maggie Zander

Communications officer

M: +41 79 593 17 74

zanderm@unitaid.who.int

Screening and treatment for Chagas disease – technology and market landscape

Unitaid commemorates World Chagas Day with a new initiative to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the disease

  • Chagas disease affects between 6 and 7 million people worldwide and kills 10,000 people annually. In Latin America, it causes more deaths than any other parasitic disease including malaria. Patients infected with Chagas disease are at risk of severe COVID-19 manifestations.
  • At least two million women of child-bearing age are estimated to be chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi ( cruzi) and 5 to 10% of pregnant women with Chagas disease will transmit the infection to their new-borns.

Geneva – Transmitted by the blood-sucking triatomine bug called Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), Chagas disease currently affects between 6 and 7 million people worldwide and kills an estimated 10,000 people annually.

In Latin America where it is endemic, Chagas causes more deaths than any other parasitic disease including malaria. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 75 million people are at risk of infection, most of them among the poorest and most marginalized populations.

Despite high rates of morbidity and a high associated economic burden, only 7% of people with Chagas disease are diagnosed, and only 1% receive appropriate care. If left untreated, Chagas can cause serious heart and digestive complications. Patients infected with Chagas are also at risk of severe COVID-19 manifestations.

Mother-to-child transmission is a major infection route for Chagas transmission. In addition to vector control, active screening, and appropriate treatment options for women of childbearing age, their new-borns and their children could substantially limit congenital transmission and reduce the number of new infections. Importantly, early detection of infection in infants can reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths related to Chagas disease.

As this week marks the commemoration of the second edition of World Chagas Disease Day 2021 (14th of April), Unitaid and the Ministry of Health of Brazil have come together to support a new US$ 19M joint initiative to improve access to affordable point-of-care diagnostics, better treatment, and comprehensive care for women and new-borns in four endemic countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Paraguay.

This initiative will be conducted through a close collaboration with regional and global partners such as the WHO and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and seeks to influence other countries in Latin America and beyond.

“Chagas disease continues to generate much suffering and death for thousands of people in Latin America, especially in the poorer countries and among the most vulnerable populations,” said PAHO Director Dr. Carissa F. Etienne. “Mother-to-child transmission of Chagas can be prevented. We hope that this new global initiative will significantly advance efforts to ensure that every child in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay is born free of Chagas disease.”

According to PAHO, in Latin America alone, 1.12 million women of childbearing age are infected, and between 8,000 to 15,000 infected babies are born each year.

“At least two million women of child-bearing age are estimated to be chronically infected with Chagas disease worldwide and about 5 to 10% of pregnant women will transmit the infection to their new-borns. By making appropriate diagnostics and improved treatments available for women and their children, we can save future generations from the possible fatal consequences of this insidious disease,” said Dr Philippe Duneton, Unitaid Executive Director.

The project will be implemented by a consortium of partners [1]  led by the Fundação para o Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico em Saúde/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiotec/Fiocruz) based in Brazil.

“This important announcement brings us immense satisfaction, especially during these difficult times of pandemia. It confirms Fiocruz’s commitment to make the best of use science to improve people’s health,” said Nísia Trindade Lima, President of Fiocruz. “By the end of the project, we hope to deliver a replicable and validated model, that will not only contribute to prevent the transmission of the disease but will also lay the groundwork for a new era in care for people affected by Chagas disease.”

The project will include two clinical trials. One aimed at demonstrating the relevance of a rapid diagnostic test algorithm in real-life settings and another one seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of a shorter treatment regimen. If successful, these will reduce the time between screening, diagnosis, and treatment completion.

Additional interventions will also aim at strengthening supply chains and equitable access to potential life-saving products and developing a competitive and transparent market for diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease.

The evidence generated through the project will be leveraged to facilitate the adoption of feasible and cost-effective health tools and care for Chagas disease regionally and globally.

While most cases still occur in Latin America, the disease is increasingly spreading to other geographies. Cases now appear in places such as the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan, and Australia.

[1]

  • Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz)
  • Instituto Nacional de Laboratorios de Salud “Néstor Morales Villazón” (INLASA) with United Nations
  • Development Programme (UNDP) (Bolivia) acting as Administrative Agent
  • Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS) (Colombia)
  • Servicio Nacional de Erradicación del Paludismo (SENEPA) with Centro de Informacion y Recursos para el Desarrollo (CIRD) (Paraguay) acting as Administrative Agent
  • Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND)

Related:

Media contacts:

Maggie Zander, Unitaid, Geneva (FR/EN/ES/PT) – tel. +41 79 593 17 74, zanderm@unitaid.who.int

Hervé Verhoosel (FR/EN), Unitaid, Geneva – tel. +44 77 29 618 634, verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

Unitaid greets World Chagas Disease Day with new analysis, new plans

Geneva – Unitaid marked the first World Chagas Disease Day with the release of a comprehensive report on how to better confront the potentially deadly parasitic infection that strikes hardest among Latin America’s poor and marginalized.

It was on this date in 1909 that a Brazilian doctor, Carlos Chagas, diagnosed the first case of what was to be called Chagas disease.

Unitaid is also developing an initiative to help eliminate mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease as part of its mandate to improve maternal, newborn and child health.

“Unitaid was created to speed equitable access to innovative health solutions, and we are thrilled to join global efforts against this insidious disease,” Unitaid Executive Director a.i. Philippe Duneton said. “Access to simpler and more affordable test and treat tools will help end the suffering Chagas causes, and cut costs for families and health systems.”

Unitaid’s work aligns with global health plans that call for eliminating Chagas disease as a public health problem by 2030.  Currently, only an estimated 7 percent of people with Chagas disease get diagnosed, and only 1 percent receive effective treatment.

Unitaid’s just-released report, Technology and Market Landscape for Chagas Disease, maps out the diagnostics and treatments that are in use now and identifies innovations that could improve upon them. The report also examines market barriers that could be removed to make way for better tests and treatments.

Unitaid’s upcoming investment to tackle mother-to-child transmission seeks to address some of these challenges, notably the lack of diagnostic tools and medicines in primary health care clinics. At least two million women of child-bearing potential are chronically infected with ‘Trypanosoma cruzi’, but active screening and optimal treatment can prevent transmission to their babies. In addition, early detection of infection in infants can greatly reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths related to Chagas disease.

Transmitted by the blood-sucking triatomine bug, Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis), slowly brings on cardiac, neurological and digestive problems. Up to 7 million people are thought to be infected with it, 75 million people are considered to be at risk of infection and about 10,000 die from it annually. In Brazil, Chagas disease causes more deaths than any other parasitic disease, including malaria.

In the last decades, the disease has moved from the countryside to urban settings, and is now found outside the borders of the 21 Latin American countries where it is endemic. Cases now appear in places such as the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia.

Related:

For more information: Gloria Vinyoles | 41 79 121 18 65 | vinyolesg@unitaid.who.int

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Seizing opportunities to stop infectious diseases

Unitaid seeks to support new approaches to tackle Chagas disease

Brasilia – Unitaid has launched a call for proposals for new projects that can help eliminate congenital infection of Chagas disease through better diagnosis and treatment, within the context of its work in maternal and child health. The new call reflects increased global attention and country commitment to fight Chagas disease.

Today’s announcement in Brazil puts a focus on fighting this neglected tropical disease that infects 6-7 million people and kills more than 10,000 each year. Worldwide, 75 million people are at risk of Chagas disease.

“Attacking this silent killer through early diagnosis and improved treatments will not only change the lives of women of child-bearing age by curing them of Chagas disease but also protect the future of millions of newborns by preventing the transmission from mother to child,” said Unitaid’s Executive Director Lelio Marmora.

Chagas is endemic to 21 Latin American countries, including Brazil, where it causes more deaths than any other parasitic disease, including malaria.

“Chagas disease infects millions of people in Brazil and in Latin America. The Government of Brazil welcomes this initiative and will collaborate closely with Unitaid to eliminate this neglected tropical disease,”said Brazil Minister of Health Dr. Luiz Henrique Mandetta.

While most cases occur in Latin America, often in the poorest and most marginalized communities, the disease is increasingly spreading to other geographies.

Mother-to-child transmission is a key infection route for Chagas disease, with at least two million women of child-bearing age estimated to be chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. Evidence has shown that active screening and optimal treatment can prevent congenital transmission. Furthermore, given the success of treatment in newborns, during prenatal or at-birth care, early detection of infection in infants is critical to preventing the number of hospitalizations and deaths related to Chagas disease.

The deadline to submit a proposal is 27th February 2020, at 17:00 Geneva time.

Through its calls for proposals, Unitaid finds smart new ideas to help relieve the burden of diseases, to break down access barriers, to enable scale-up by partner organizations and countries and to reach people in need. A review committee of independent experts in global health helps choose the best proposals to fund through a competitive selection process.

For media enquiries:

Priyamvada Chugh, chughp@unitaid.who.int