Researcher at the Autonomous University participated as an expert in international meetings on Chagas disease

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, it can be transmitted vertically during pregnancy, through the bug bite or through blood or organ transfusions. It affects more than 7 million people in the world and in Chile it is estimated that there are approximately 120,000 carriers.

Communications Autonomous University.- Those who contract this disease are exposed to cardiomyopathies, which can lead to heart failure; also problems in the digestive system and the central nervous system, and can even cause death. A worrying situation, since it is one of the 13 most neglected diseases in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO). To be a contribution in a little visible disease is that it is born Bye Chagas Chilea project led by Dr. Andrea Avaria, an academic from the Autonomous University of Chile, a teacher and researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and a specialist in Chagas disease.

Given her vast experience, she is the only Chilean member of the WHO Technical Group GTIEC6, which is dedicated to information, education and communication on this disease. On January 28, the second GTIEC6 meeting was held in Italy, where Dr. Avaria shared and worked with people with Chagas disease. “This allowed us as a group to promote community work and, along with it, plan and devise campaigns that we will carry out in the short term.”

As a result of her experience and the work she did in Italy, added to her knowledge of the situation in Latin America, Dr. Avaria was also invited to activities in the region. She spoke at the “Chagas Disease in the Americas Meeting: analysis of the current situation and strategic review of the regional agenda”, which took place on March 14 in Medellín, Colombia. This activity was convened by the Regional Program for the Control and Prevention of Chagas disease of the Neglected, Tropical and Vector-Transmitted Diseases Unit of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), which was also attended by members of the national Ministry of Health.

The researcher indicates that, “at the meeting in Colombia, we were entrusted, together with a group of experts, with the task of evaluating the current situation and planning actions in the area of ​​information, education, and communication of the disease in each Pan-American country. In addition, I presented the Chao Chagas Chile project”

To commemorate World Chagas Day, on April 14, the Argentine government held a discussion, where the document “General Guidelines for the communicational approach to Chagas” was presented, which invites us to change the way we talk about the disease and which had as research input the Chao Chagas Chile project. for this reason, Dr. Avaria was invited to share experiences. “She called me to talk about communication and how is the care of the sick in the national health system.”