Photo courtesy of CDC
Chagas disease was once confined to exotic places and areas of Latin America. The disease, however, has now ventured into the developing world via travel and immigration. A new paper published by the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases talks about how Chagas has spread from Latin America to other parts of the world, take a read:
“Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, was once thought to be an exotic disease, confined to endemic areas of Latin America and hence of little importance to anyone outside of these endemic regions, including most physicians and scientists. The impact of the lack of physician awareness and lack of scientific attention is undefined, but may contribute to the continued neglect of Chagas disease and the affected populations. Despite historical evidence and growing recognition of the spread of Chagas disease, the prevention and control of this disease outside of Latin America is only now being addressed.”