While America Ignores A Disease Bigger Than Zika, Its Victims Remain Invisible (Huffpost; Catharine

Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/chagas-united-states_us_59a07100e4b0821444c3128d

Key Points:

-Chagas is an infection caused by a parasite that can live for decades in organs damaging it silently and can cause sudden death. It affects 8 million people worldwide and 300,000 people in the US is estimated to have it. It is most commonly acquired in Latin American countries.

-Chagas is transmitted through the kissing bug (which bites people on the face while they sleep). It manifests as a swelling and flu-like symptoms which disappear after a while. 70% of chagas is asymptomatic but the remaining 30% develop life threatening complications such as heart failure, enlarged heart, esophagus or colon.

-Chagas is treatable but not if it is too advanced. Another barrier to treatment is stigmatization of the disease as it is associated with Latinos, who have concerns about coming out with the disease due to fears of marginalization due to the political climate in the US.