Every year on April 14th is observed as World Chagas Disease Day (WCDD) to increase awareness of American trypanosomiasis, also referred to as Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that can cause life-threatening digestive and cardiac problems.
Additionally, the WCDD seeks to increase early diagnosis, broaden the scope of diagnostic testing, and ensure that all patients with Chagas disease have fair access to clinical care.
Theme:
“Tackling Chagas Disease: Detect Early and Care for Life” is the WCDD 2024 theme.
The theme centers on raising public awareness of Chagas disease, obtaining funding, promoting early diagnosis, and providing lifetime follow-up for those impacted by the condition.
Why April 14?
- The disease’s first human case was identified on April 14, 1909, in a 2-year-old Brazilian girl named Berenice Soares de Moura by researcher and physician Carlos Justiniano Ribeiro Chagas.
- Carlos Justiniano Ribeiro Chagas is the namesake of the illness.
About Chagas disease:
- Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), a protozoan parasite, is the cause of the contagious and potentially fatal illness known as Chagas disease. Since the symptoms are frequently negligible or nonexistent, it is also referred to as a “silent or silenced disease.”
- Globally, cases of Chagas disease, which is common in continental Latin America, are rising.
In 2005, Chagas disease was classified as a non-transgenic disease (NTD) by the World Health Organization (WHO).