A WHO/private sector partnership to fight against Chagas Disease

[23 April 2007 - 10h44]

The WHO is expanding its global effort to eliminate Chagas disease, a “silent killer that still affects an estimated 9 million people in many countries. This is done through a public/private partnership with Bayer HealthCare.

The German-owned company has agreed with the WHO that it would “provide funds to expand the Organization’s Chagas Disease elimination efforts along with 2.5 million tablets free of charge” of nifurtimox, one of the 2 drugs that are effective in the treatment of Chagas. This will “allow the treatment of an estimated 30,000 patients over a period of five years.”

Chagas Disease is a parent affliction of trypanosomiasis and for decades, it has mainly affected people living in rural areas of Latin America. However, large migrations, blood donations and poor safety in blood banks in many countries have led to the infection spreading outside Latin America. Chagas is now present in Europe, and various parts of the USA. What is also remarkable is that the symptoms are silent. They often appear many years – even decades! – after the patient has been infected by rubbing the contaminated faeces of its vector, the triatomine bug, into wounds, their eyes or mouth.

Most people with the disease do not actually know they are infected. The infection may remain dormant for decades, and induce cardiac or other complications resulting in disability and eventually, death. As explained by WHO officials, “this silent killer causes the slow swelling of internal organs”. Up to now, initiatives to contain Chagas have been limited to Latin America, although with significant results. The number of cases has been reduced from 16-18 million in 1990 to an estimated 9 million in 2006. WHO now expects, that “expanding the network of Chagas control from regional to global level (will make it possible to contemplate) global elimination of the disease”.

Source : WHO, 13 April 2007

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