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Current situation and perspectives regarding human Chagas disease in midwestern of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

2014; Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde; Volume: 109; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1590/0074-0276130385

1678-8060

Christiane Santos Matos, José Eloy dos Santos Júnior, Fernanda Alvarenga Cardoso Medeiros, Eliana Furtado, João Carlos Pinto Dias,

Research on Leishmaniasis Studies

Recognising the importance of Chagas disease in Brazil, Bambuí set up epidemiological surveillance for Chagas disease in 1974 and was the first municipality to do so. To ascertain the current epidemiology of Chagas disease in this municipality, 1.782 blood samples from the general population were analysed; 7.7% of samples were found to be seropositive for Chagas disease. A strong positive correlation between increasing age and Chagas disease was evident in both genders, with the highest prevalence in individuals aged over 60 years. Clinically, the cardiodigestive form of Chagas disease was the most common in these samples. These data confirm the interruption of Trypanosoma cruzi transmission, in parallel with a still important residual morbidity of Chagas disease in the county, thus supporting political decisions that will prioritise epidemiological surveillance and medical treatment of Chagas disease in the coming years.