In January a program of action of the Ministry of Health and the College of Pharmacists is launched
The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the College of Pharmacists, will develop a program aimed at detecting Chagas disease in Bolivian women residing in the Region of Murcia, according to sources from the regional government in a statement. To this end, the Minister of Health, Juan José Pedreño, and the president of the College of Pharmacists, Paula Payá, signed an agreement this Wednesday that, as of next January, a protocol for action will be launched in pharmacies of the Community for the detection of this disease in Bolivian girls and women of reproductive age. Once developed, its coverage will be extended in order to eradicate this disease in the Region.
Chagas disease is caused by T. cruzi, a protozoan parasite of humans and a variety of animal species, some of them domestic. Without treatment, Chagas disease can cause heart and digestive disorders and be fatal. It is transmitted, above all, by the bite of a bed bug that feeds on the blood of animals and humans and is found only in America, especially in rural areas and with poor hygienic conditions. In Spain, the possible route of transmission is from mother to children, since other routes of infection, such as blood and organ donations, are controlled.
The Region of Murcia has one of the largest global coverage of diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease, which contributed to the establishment of a strategic collaboration between the Ministry of Health, through the Tropical Medicine Unit, the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, of the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Center for Tropical Medicine of the Carlos III Health Institute and the Fundación Mundo Sano, to carry out the Plan for the control and elimination of Chagas disease. It should be noted that in the Region no case of congenital Chagas disease has been diagnosed in the last two years.
Control and monitoring of patients
By virtue of the agreement, the Ministry will provide the screening tests to the Pharmacy Offices that adhere to this program and will carry out the control and monitoring of the patients. For its part, the College of Pharmacists will communicate the implementation of this screening program and will facilitate the adherence of those pharmacy offices that voluntarily want to participate.
Before taking the sample, the patient will receive all the information related to the procedure to be submitted and will sign an informed consent according to the model, which will be kept at the pharmacy office. Once the test has been carried out, the pharmacy office will communicate the result to the patient and inform about the hygienic-sanitary measures to be adopted according to the result obtained.
In Latin America it is estimated that there are between 6 and 7 million people affected, and currently Chagas disease is present in many other countries, which makes it a global health problem. In Spain, an estimated 50,000 people are afflicted with this ailment.
In the Region of Murcia, some 2,000 people have been diagnosed and treated for this disease since the opening of the Tropical Medicine Unit in 2007. The diagnosis of the disease is easily made by means of a blood test. The sooner it is done, the better the prognosis of the patient.
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