Chagas disease among pregnant Latin American women in the United Kingdom: time for action
15 Oct 2017
- Chagas disease—caused by infection with parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi)—is an emerging but still largely unrecognised parasitic disease in the United Kingdom (UK).
- The classic vector-borne route of transmission by infected triatomine bugs only occurs in the endemic areas of Latin America, but less common routes of transmission—organ transplantations, blood transfusions and vertical transmission—have been reported in Europe.
- The UK has implemented health policy measures to control the transmission, including the systematic screening of at-risk blood and organ donations.
- Determining the prevalence of T. cruzi infection in Latin American women living in London remains a key priority to inform evidence-based screening policy and practice.