Thread by @WHO

It's #WorldChagasDiseaseDay

Finding & reporting every case is 🔑 to defeating #ChagasDisease - a potentially life-threatening illness, transmitted through contact with the faeces or urine of a triatomine bug found mainly in Latin America.

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About 6 to 7 million people are infected with #ChagasDisease, causing 10 000 deaths yearly. Most infections occur in Latin America but the disease is increasingly detected in other parts of the 🌐, with 75 million at risk of infection

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It's #WorldChagasDiseaseDay

In many countries, there are low detection rates of this 'silent disease' & frequent barriers to access adequate healthcare. Equitable access to health care & services for everyone affected by #ChagasDisease are crucial.

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The symptoms of #ChagasDisease are most often non-existent or mild and unspecific. The first visible signs can include:
🔸 skin lesion
🔸 purplish swelling of an eyelid
🔸 fever
🔸 difficulty breathing
🔸 abdominal or chest pain

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People with #ChagasDisease are especially at risk from #COVID19 and should be prioritized for the vaccination.

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The spread of #ChagasDisease can be prevented by:
✅ vector control
✅ good hygiene
✅ food safety
✅ screening of blood donors & women of childbearing age
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Addressing #ChagasDisease early is 🔑 to treating it:
✅ Contact your doctor if you live or have travelled to an area at risk of Chagas & experience symptoms
✅ 2 medicines are effective in curing the disease if given soon after infection

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#ChagasDisease is transmitted by:
🕳️ Contact with the faeces or urine of a triatomine bug (kissing bug)
🥘 Contaminated food
🩸 Blood transfusion / organ transplant
🤰 Mother to child

👉 bit.ly/3LOfH8N