WORKSHOPS ON CHAGAS DISEASE

Scientific Refresher Seminar—Chagas disease Technique in Argentina.

Researchers and public officials gathered on October 20 at the Seminar on Chagas Disease in Argentina, organized by the Ministry of Health of Argentina and Fundación Mundo Sano, with the support of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation. After the opening ceremony, the specialists debated on pending actions to tackle this disease which, it is estimated, affects more than two million people in the country. “All of us who have worked on Chagas disease are well aware of the fact that silence is one the main enemies”, Dr. Silvia Gold, Mundo Sano President, pointed out during the opening ceremony held at Dr. Roberto Gold Auditorium in Edificio Insud. Dr. Lino Barañao, Minister of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, asserted that his main challenge is "to interact with the other government areas in order to reach concrete solutions". In turn, Dr. Juan Manzur, Ministry of Health, announced the presentation of a working scheme to palliate Chagas impact, and anticipated the launching of the Institute of Tropical Diseases in December. “Changas cannot only be prevented; it can also be cured. Enormous work has been done though there is still a lot to be done (…) All the State areas have something to say: the disease must be a State policy”, assured Manzur.
Shortly before its 50th anniversary, the National Chagas Program, implemented in 1962, accounts for a significant increase in surveillance and vectoral control actions. However, the environmental pressure of regions in Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Formosa and La Rioja demand even further prevention tasks. The main challenges imply control of congenital Chagas in schoolchildren, and also in transfused blood.  Sergio Sosa Estani, Director of Vector-borne Diseases of the Ministry of Health, urged to intensify controls on pregnant women”.
After the opening session, specialists made their presentations. In the first place, Sosa Estani, based his presentation on two axes: State of affairs of Chagas control and Needs of Investigation for control of the disease.
On the other hand, Analía Porrás, representative of the Pan America Health Organization, addressed the technological innovations related to Chagas disease. She referred to the costs implied by the disease in terms of medicine, and stressed the difficulties implied by inexistance of Chagas in the regional expenditure agendas.
Gabriela Truppia, representative of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation of Argentina, pointed out the scientific capabilities connected with Chagas and stressed several financing lines for research. In other respects, Truppia exposed the challenges they have been working on in order to get the most reliable and complete information on the research being carried out by de Ministry institutions.