The initiative “Not a single baby with Chagas: the path towards new generations free of Chagas disease” has the objective of contributing to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of this disease.
Chagas disease currently affects 8 million people worldwide, of which 1.2 million are women of childbearing age. Every year, 9,000 babies are born with the disease.
Buenos Aires, April 2021.- Mundo Sano Foundation welcomes the approval of the initiative “Not a single baby with Chagas: the path towards new generations free of Chagas disease” by the Heads of State and Government of Ibero-America gathered in the “XXVII Ibero-American summit, held on April 21 in Andorra.
This initiative, which aims at contributing to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease, was proposed by the governments of Argentina and Brazil, with the promotion and with contributions of Mundo Sano Foundation, and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), the Evandro Chagas Institute of Brazil and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).
This renewed commitment of Ibero-American countries to international health cooperation, and specifically to people affected with Chagas disease, is very promising. “This is an important step forward because it contributes to the visibility of this disease and its inclusion on the global agenda; in addition, it complements the efforts being made in this sense by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), along with other key stakeholders”, stated Dr Silvia Gold, President of Mundo Sano Foundation. “We are in the last decade of the 2030 Agenda; it is necessary to redouble efforts in the area of international cooperation and reinforce multilateralism”, stated Dr Gold.
The initiative aims to contribute to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease within the frame of the goals established in the WHO road map for Neglected Tropical Diseases (2021-2030) and within the PAHO Framework for the Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, and Chagas disease. In this sense, Marcelo Abril, Executive Director of Mundo Sano Foundation, stressed the importance of the cooperation among countries and indicated that “The pillar of this strategy is that of building a future without Chagas disease, contributing to the strengthening of actions to enhance access to diagnosis and treatment of the people at risk “.
This collaborative effort evidences the willingness to reinforce the international cooperation and accelerate actions towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. “We are in a very particular context, with the global agenda dominated by the pandemic. Making a neglected disease like Chagas visible and giving it a position in the Ibero-American space is particularly important” said Mariela Cánepa, Coordinator of International initiatives at Mundo Sano Foundation.
Mundo Sano Foundation remains at the disposal of the countries participating in this initiative and, once again, reaffirms its commitment and support. The goal is clear: not a single baby should be born with Chagas disease by 2030.
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