Emiliana Rodriguez remembers witnessing friends play a nocturnal game of soccer when one of the participants unexpectedly passed away on the field while she was a little child. Without knowing what had happened, Bolivian-born Rodrguez began to fear the night and the “monster” she had been informed only emerges at night, the silent killer known as Chagas.
A new kind of monster, chagas is a “silent and quiet sickness” spread by nocturnal insects that affects up to 8 million people annually and claims the lives of 12,000 people.
The 42-year-old Emiliana Rodriguez, who called Chagas a “demon,” relocated to Barcelona from Bolivia 27 years ago after realizing she couldn’t escape it.
“The terror frequently struck at night. I occasionally didn’t sleep,” she admitted. “I was worried that I would fall asleep and not awaken.”
When Rodriguez was eight years old and expecting her first kid, she underwent certain tests that showed she was a Chagas carrier. She also recalled the passing of her friend: “I was paralyzed with shock and remembered all those stories my relatives told me about individuals suddenly dying.” “What is going to happen to my baby?” I wondered.
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Nonetheless, Rodriguez received medication to stop the parasite from being vertically transmitted to her pregnant kid. She tested negative following the birth of her daughter.
When Elvira Idalia Hernández Cuevas’ 18-year-old was diagnosed with Chagas, she had never heard of the silent killer in Mexico.
Idalia, 18, was donating blood in her hometown, close to Veracruz, Mexico, when her sample was examined, leading to a positive diagnostic for Chagas, a condition brought on by triatomine bugs, also referred to as kissing or vampire bugs and blood-sucking parasites.
According to Hernández in an interview with the Guardian, “I had never heard of Chagas so I started to explore it on the internet.” “When I read that it was a silent murderer, I was horrified. I was clueless as to what to do or where to go.
She is not alone in this; many individuals are not aware of the vectorborne diseases these bothersome bugs cause.
Carlos Ribeiro Justiniano Chagas, a Brazilian doctor and researcher who discovered the human case in 1909, is the inspiration behind the name Chagas. The prevalence of Chagas disease over the past few decades has been documented throughout South America, North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
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Kissing bugs are most active at night when people are sleeping and typically reside in the walls of low-income dwellings in rural or suburban regions. The T. cruzi bug infects both humans and animals by biting them. After defecating on their skin, the sufferer may unintentionally scratch the area and break the skin or move the excrement into their eyes or mouth.
Around 8 million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America have Chagas disease, with 6 to 7 million people globally having the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the majority of whom are unaware of their infection. The lifelong infection can be fatal if left untreated. According to the Guardian, Chagas kills 12,000 people annually, which is “more individuals in Latin America than any other parasitic illness, including malaria.”
Although these bugs have been found in the U.S. and almost 300,000 people have been afflicted, they are not thought to be endemic.
Although the CDC reports that decades later, 20 to 30% of people have heart issues, which can be fatal, or gastrointestinal complications, which can be quite uncomfortable, even if other people never experience any symptoms.
Moreover, only 10% of cases are detected globally, which makes treatment and prevention very challenging.
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Hernández and her daughter Idalia sought assistance from many doctors who had little to no knowledge of Chagas or how to cure it. “I was shocked, terrified, and heartbroken because I believed my kid would pass away. I was particularly anxious since I couldn’t find any trustworthy information, Hernández said.
Idalia received the care she need after finally receiving assistance from a family member who worked in healthcare.
The scenario is different from what the authorities in Mexico claim; they claim that there aren’t many individuals suffering from Chagas disease and that it’s under control. “Medical workers lack training and confuse Chagas with other cardiac conditions. Most people are unaware that Chagas exists in Mexico.
Being a neglected tropical illness, Chagas is not on the global health policy agenda, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Chagas disease treatment
Chagas is ignored, in part, because “it’s a silent disease that stays concealed for so long in your body… because of the asymptomatic nature of the initial portion of the infection,” according to Colin Forsyth, a research manager at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi).
Forsyth stated, “The impacted merely don’t have the authority to influence healthcare policy,” in reference to the underprivileged communities. It’s kept secret because to a convergence of biological and social problems.
Yet, as Chagas spreads to other continents, it is becoming more well understood that it can spread through organ and blood transplants, as well as from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth.
The Chagas Hub was established in the UK by Professor David Moore, a doctor at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, with the main objective of “more individuals diagnosed and treated, and to manage the risk of transmission, which in the UK is from mother to child,” he added.
About the WHO goal of eradicating the disease by 2030, Moore described the development as being “glacial” and remarked, “I can’t conceive that we’ll be even close by 2030. That is incredibly unlikely.
Two drugs that have been on the market for more than 50 years each, benznidazole and nifurtimox, can be used to treat chagas disease. According to Moore, both drugs are “toxic, unpleasant, and not very effective.”
There is no assurance that the drugs will stop or slow the progression of disease in adults, even though they can cure a baby.
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When it comes to serious side effects, Rodrguez recalls breaking out in hives and experiencing nausea and dizziness. She finished her therapy and has yearly checkups.
Moore adds that developing more potent Chagas medications is essential for halting the disease’s spread, but there is now no financial incentive for pharmaceutical firms to do so.
In her capacity as president of the International Federation of Organizations of Persons Affected by Chagas Disease, Hernández is working to raise awareness of the silent disease until there is a greater market need to create further treatments (FINDECHAGAS).
What should I do if I find a triatomine bug?
Rodriguez is fighting the “monster” in Spain, where the Barcelona Institute for Global Health is running a campaign to raise awareness of Chagas.
The silence is getting to me, says Rodriguez. “I want people to discuss about and be aware about Chagas. I want everyone to receive testing and care.
They are also being heard.
On April 14, the day that Carlos found the first human instance of the disease in 1909, the WHO established World Chagas Disease Day. “Global targets for 2030 and milestones are set forth to prevent, control, eradicate and eradicate a diversified range of 20 diseases and disease groups,” according to the WHO. Chagas is one of these.
The CDC advises the following actions to avoid a potential infestation:
- Seal cracks and gaps around windows, walls, roofs and doors
- Remove wood, brush and rock piles near your house
- Use screens on doors and windows and repair any holes or tears
- Seal holes and cracks leading to the attic, to crawl spaces below the house and to the outside
- Have pets sleep indoors, especially at night
- Keep your house and any outdoor pet resting areas clean, in addition to periodically checking both areas for the presence of bugs
The CDC advises against crushing kissing bugs if you think you’ve found one. Instead, gently place the bug in a container, add rubbing alcohol to the container, then freeze the container.
After that, it is advised that you take the bug’s container to a university lab or your local health authority for identification.
It’s quite frightening to think these bugs live in the walls of homes–it’s like those horror stories you hear as a child to be wary of the monster that lives in the walls.
We really hope the WHO makes good on its promise to eliminate Chagas, and other Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Please share this story and help raise awareness on this silent disease!