Chagas Disease: Concerns in Argentina and the United States
View/ Open
Author
Bush, Mary Elizabeth
Subject
Washington and Lee University -- Poster in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Chagas' disease -- Transmission
Argentina
United States
Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
Mary Elizabeth Bush is a member of the Class of 2013 of Washington and Lee University. Poster; [FULL-TEXT RESTRICTED TO WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY LOGIN] American trypanosomiasis, more commonly known as Chagas disease, has been a neglected tropical disease for decades. Endemic to all of Latin America, Chagas disease is found most frequently in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, and Central America. The disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi carried by an insect vector. Chagas is primarily transmitted through contact with the vector, but it can also be transmitted via blood transfusions from an infected person and congenitally from mother to child. The disease has both an acute phase and a chronic phase, and if left untreated may develop into a life-long disease that can be fatal.