Giving voice to the frontliners of health, this year’s edition of the GHF focuses on chronic conditions. DNDi and MSF co-hosted a session on adult chronic Chagas disease.
DNDi/MSF’s session
Chagas Disease : Neglected, Global, Chronic
Friday April 20, 12:30
Chair: François Chappuis, Division of International and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
Summary: Chagas disease infects an estimated 8-10 million people, mostly in the 21 endemic countries in Latin America, and kills nearly 12,000 people each year – making it the leading parasitic killer in Latin America, ahead of malaria. Those most affected are very poor, live in inadequate housing conditions, and have limited access to health care. With globalization, Chagas is now on the rise in Europe, where there are an estimated 80,000 cases. Yet many are unaware of the consequences of the disease, its chronicity, the dire need for new treatments, and the lack of an appropriate test of cure. This session will contextualize Chagas within the ‘neglected tropical diseases’ landscape and point to the way forward in terms of diagnosis, treatment, test of cure, and integration into health systems. Perspectives from patients, doctors, and researchers – in addition to a live broadcast by a renowned filmmaker from the Chaco area in Argentina – will offer a holistic view of and discussion about the disease and the millions of people it affects.
Sessions
Intro: Neglected Tropical Diseases, Getting Beyond the Silos: The Case of Chronic Stage Chagas Disease [PDF]
François Chappuis, Division of International and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
Breaking the Silence – A Patient Perspective on Chagas [PDF en] [PDF es]
Manuel Gutiérrez, International Federation of People Suffering from Chagas Disease, Spain
Treating Chagas – Acute and Chronic. the importance of intergrating care in health systems [PDF]
Carolina Batista, Director, Brazilian medical unit, MSF
This is the Reality of Chagas Disease Lives
Ricardo Preve, Filmmaker, Chaco Area, Argentin
Just Two Drugs for Millions? Where We Stand with New Treatments and Test of Cure for Chagas [PDF]
Nathalie Strub-Wourgaft, Medical Director, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Switzerland
