ENDEMIC AREA
Santiago del Estero is one of poorest provinces in Argentina and one in which Chagas disease prevails, affecting more than 200,000 people. Located at the northeastern area of the country, this province's social-economic history is characterized by a large forest exploitation activity which has severely affected economical and productive aspects.
Añatuya is located at one hundred and eighty kilometers (113 miles) southwest of the provincial's capital. Its approximately 20,000 inhabitants form the main urban center of General Taboada, one of the 27 districts dividing the province. This local area does not escape from the scenario described above.

MUNDO SANO's ACTION
In 2002, Mundo Sano Foundation proposed to carry out a Triatoma infestans chemical control Program of vector elimination, designed to interrupt Chagas disease transmission in Añatuya department and its area of influence. For this purpose, the main actors related to this problem were convened in order to align, join and optimize their tasks and efforts.
This is the first multi-sectoral activity carried out in the country aimed to face the problem of Chagas disease. The primary innovative element was based on the implementation of an intervention model which included the private sector's participation in an action carried out by the Public Health Sector, along with local institutions and areas which traditionally implement control actions.

Since then, the work at Añatuya operation center has not stopped. In 2004, Granja Agroecológica Educativa [an educational agricultural-ecological farm], an environment for promoting knowledge and practices directed to the development of productive activities for self-consumption, joined this work group.