Epidemiology
Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, and transmitted to humans by infected triatomine bugs, and less commonly by transfusion, organ transplant, from mother to infant, and in rare instances, by ingestion of contaminated food or... drink.1-4 The hematophagous triatomine vectors defecate during or immediately after feeding on a person. The parasite is present in large numbers in the feces of infected bugs, and enters the human body through the bite wound, or through the intact conjunctiva or other mucous membrane.
Vector-borne transmission occurs only in the Americas, where an estimated 8 to 10 million people have Chagas disease.5 Historically, transmission occurred largely in rural areas in Latin America, where houses built of mud brick are vulnerable to colonization by the triatomine vectors.4 In such areas, Chagas disease usually is acquired in childhood. In the last several decades, successful vector control programs have substantially decreased transmission rates in much of Latin America, and large-scale migration has brought infected individuals to cities both within and outside of Latin America.
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World Health Organization Department of Reproductive Health and Research
Brocher Foundation, Hermance, Geneva, Switzerland, 27–29 April 2016
National Guidelines for HIV & AIDS Care and Treatment (5th Edition)
UNAIDS 2016 / Meeting Report
Chapter 1 of the WHO manual for male circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy
provides an overview of how medical male circumcision (VMMC) can reduce the risk of female-to-male HIV transmission. It explains that VMMC is an effective and safe risk-reduction method that, according to three randomiz...ed controlled trials, reduces HIV acquisition by approximately 60%. The chapter highlights that VMMC should be offered as part of a combination prevention approach, alongside other strategies like safer sex education and condom use, to address concerns about potential behavioral changes.
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