Chagas’ disease is often termed a silent killer because many victims don’t realise they are infected. Now epidemiologists, backed by two recent studies, are saying the US government must take firmer action against its stealthy spread.
More than 10 million Latin Americans carry the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is to blame. For those with resulting heart complications, the outlook now seems worse than previously thought. Of 424 people in Brazil diagnosed with Chagas’ heart disease who were followed for an average of eight years, 130 died (The New England Journal of Medicine, vol 355, p 799). Another report details…
