Alto Paraguay: indigenous communities benefit from actions against Chagas

Asuncion, IP Agency.- The Ministry of Public Health reported that a total of 674 inhabitants of the indigenous communities of Puerto Esperanza, Puerto Diana and 14 de Mayo were treated during the surveillance and control operation for Chagas disease, which took place from August 23 to August 2.

This mission was organized by the National Program for the Control of Chagas Disease in conjunction with PAHO/WHO Paraguay, with the support of the local municipality and promoted by the XVII Health Region, Alto Paraguay – Chaco, in commemoration of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, with the commitment to guarantee the health of the indigenous communities of our country.

The assistance was complemented with self-care counseling and a “karu guasu” organized for service users, as part of the activities scheduled for 2024 in the Western Region of Paraguay.

SENEPA aims to develop comprehensive and intersectoral strategies to prevent mortality, reduce morbidity and socioeconomic losses with interventions aimed at maintaining the certifications received and achieving the interruption of other transmission routes of this pathology.

More information on Chagas disease

In 2018, PAHO/WHO certified the interruption of intra-household vector transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi by Triatoma infestans throughout the national territory.

In Paraguay, the most important route of transmission is currently transplacental or vertical, with a risk of between 2 and 5%, according to data from the Ministry of Public Health.