Current situation and perspectives regarding human Chagas disease in
midwestern of the state of Minas Gerais,Brazil |
| |
| Authors: | Christiane Santos Matos José Eloy dos Santos Júnior Fernanda Alvarenga Cardoso Medeiros Eliana Furtado Jo?o Carlos Pinto Dias |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Laboratório de Triatomíneos e Epidemiologia da Doença de Chagas, Centro de Pesquisa René Rachou-Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil;2. Laboratório de Parasitologia, Fundação Ezequiel Dias, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil;3. Posto Avançado de Pesquisas Emmanuel Dias, Bambuí, MG, Brasil |
| |
| Abstract: | Recognising the importance of Chagas disease in Brazil, Bambuí set up epidemiologicalsurveillance for Chagas disease in 1974 and was the first municipality to do so. Toascertain the current epidemiology of Chagas disease in this municipality, 1.782blood samples from the general population were analysed; 7.7% of samples were foundto be seropositive for Chagas disease. A strong positive correlation betweenincreasing age and Chagas disease was evident in both genders, with the highestprevalence in individuals aged over 60 years. Clinically, the cardiodigestive form ofChagas disease was the most common in these samples. These data confirm theinterruption of Trypanosoma cruzi transmission, in parallel with astill important residual morbidity of Chagas disease in the county, thus supportingpolitical decisions that will prioritise epidemiological surveillance and medicaltreatment of Chagas disease in the coming years. |
| |
| Keywords: | Bambuí , Chagas disease, seroprevalence |
|
|
