42-year-old Emiliana Rodriguez, had to move from Bolivia to Barcelona, almost 30 years ago, since she had faced with “monsters”.
“The fear usually came at night. Sometimes I didn’t sleep, I was afraid of sleeping and not waking up.” She said.
She had learnt that she is a Chagas carrier, when she was expecting her first chil, eight years ago.
“I was paralysed with shock and remembered all those stories my relatives told me about people suddenly dying,” she said.
“I thought, ‘What’s going to happen to my baby?’”
With treatments to prevent the baby to infected with the disease, they were successful, since the baby had tested negative after she was born.
On the other hand, Elvira Idalia Hernández Cuevas from Mexico, was not aware of the disease, Chagas, until her diagnosis at the age of 18.
She found out that she is a carrier, when she was trying to donate blood, and after the tests, it is revealed that she is a carrier of the disease.
“I had never heard of Chagas so I started to research it on the internet,” she said.
“I was terrified when I saw it described as a silent killer. I didn’t know what to do or where to go.”
And she is not the only one that is unaware of the Chagas, that is caused by little bugs.
The disease got its name from, a Brazilian physician and researcher, Carlos Ribeiro Justiniano Chagas, when he found and named the disease in 1909. It is known that the disease is efficent in Latin America, North America, Europe, Japan and Australia.
The infection of, T. Cruzi is passing from the bugs that interact with humans, while they are asleep. It is commonly happening in the rural areas of the countries that is written above.
The bugs first settles under the skin, and then made their home in there. The bugs can be spread with the interaction with feces, or touching them.
It is stated by CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that 8, and WHO, World, Health Organization, that 6 to 7, million people has the Chagas disease, while most of them are unaware that they are infected with it.
Annually, 12,000 people lost their lives due to disease. Guardian states that, “more people in Latin America than any other parasite disease, including malaria,”
A victim of the disease, Hernandez and her daughter Idalia, had stated that, “I was surprised, scared and sad because I thought my daughter was going to die. Above all, I couldn’t find out any reliable information, and this added to my anxiety,”
“In Mexico, the authorities say that there aren’t many people affected by Chagas and that it’s under control, but that’s not the situation,”
“Medical professionals don’t receive any training and mistake Chagas for other heart diseases. The majority don’t realize there is Chagas in Mexico.”
When it comes to treat the disease, a research manager at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Colin Forstyh had stated that, “it’s a silent disease that stays hidden for so long in your body … because of the asymptomatic nature of the initial part of the infection.”
“The people affected just don’t have the power to influence healthcare policy. There’s this confluence of biological and social issues that keep it hidden.”
Consultant at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, Professor David Moore had stated that, “more people tested and treated, and to manage the risk of transmission, which in the UK is from mother to child,”
Also for the two medications, Moore described as, “toxic, unpleasant, not particularly effective.”
“I’m fed up with so much silence,” the first victim we shared, Rodriguez had said.
“I want people to talk about Chagas, and to know about it. I want people to get tested and to get treatment.”
WHO had stated that the 14th of April is the World Chagas Disease Day, and stated that, “Global targets for 2030 and milestones are set out to prevent, control, eliminate and eradicate a diverse set of 20 diseases and disease groups.”
CDC, also recommends these steps to avoid getting infected with the disease.
• 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
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