The problem

Chagas is a potentially life-threatening neglected tropical disease transmitted through a bite from an infected bug. Deemed a silent disease because it can take decades for symptoms to appear, this illness can cause serious cardiac, neurological, and digestive problems if left untreated.

Because so few people access diagnosis and treatment for Chagas disease, it often passes from mother to baby at birth. About 6 to 7 million people worldwide – mostly in Latin America – are estimated to be infected.

Diagnostic tests are inefficient, treatment lasts up to 60 days, and integrated surveillance, control and care are lacking in primary health settings. In addition, many people at risk and health professionals alike are insufficiently aware of the disease.

Our response

Through the CUIDA Chagas project, we seek to identify better, shorter ways to test and treat Chagas disease. Clinical trials aim to validate simplified diagnostic algorithms to make testing faster and available at primary health centers to connect people to treatment more quickly, while a shorter treatment option that lasts 15 days instead of 60 is hoped to help make care easier for those affected.

The CUIDA Chagas project will include interventions aimed at strengthening supply chains and improving equitable access to key products while engaging with communities and civil society to design and execute the interventions.