The CUIDA Chagas project is an innovative international initiative that focuses on testing, treating, and caring for people affected by Chagas disease in Latin America.
Through an approach that combines implementation and innovation, community engagement and market interventions, CUIDA Chagas seeks to contribute to the elimination of vertical transmission of the disease.
Women of childbearing age, their children and their household contacts are the main focus of a set of interventions that will be implemented in more than 30 municipalities in four countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Paraguay.
Over four years, CUIDA Chagas intends to consolidate implementation models for Chagas disease that can be replicated in different countries and contexts.
What we do
CUIDA Chagas seeks to achieve its goals through five priority areas:
Implementation
Promote efficient implementation models that can be replicated in different countries and contexts.
Mobilization
Promote community awareness and participation to increase demand for adequate health services.
Diagnostics
Reduce the time needed for the diagnosis of chronic Chagas disease, through the validation of a diagnostic algorithm that uses rapid diagnostic tests.
Treatment
Contribute to improving treatment adherence by providing scientific evidence for shorter treatment options with fewer complications.
Access
Conduct market and supply chain interventions to ensure equitable access to effective products.
Where are we?
The CUIDA Chgas project is being implemented in more than 32 municipalities
of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay through the following studies:
Implementation Study
Validation Study
BENBRASIL and BENLATINO
About Chagas disease
Chagas disease is considered one of the more silenced diseases among the wider group of neglected tropical diseases. It is estimated that between 6 to 8 million people worldwide are infected with Chagas disease, and over 75 million people are at risk of contracting the disease. However, less than 10% of people affected have been diagnosed, and of those diagnosed, less than 1% have received proper treatment. Each year, approximately 12,000 people die from complications due to the disease.
Vertical transmission of Chagas disease is responsible for about a third of new cases annually, with 8,000 to 15,000 babies infected during pregnancy or childbirth.
Chagas disease can be treated and cured if detected in time. Increasing prevention and control measures is crucial to guarantee the right to healthcare for people affected.
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