It is estimated that between six and eight million people worldwide are affected by Chagas disease, of whom 1.2 million are women of childbearing age. Currently, direct mother-to-child transmission is the main form of contagion, and around 9,000 babies are born with the disease each year. The disease poses a significant public health challenge in Latin America, where it is endemic in 21 countries. Most people affected by the disease also do not receive timely diagnosis and treatment to prevent long-term health consequences.
At Fundación Mundo Sano, in March 2019 we launched the campaign ‘Not a single baby with Chagas’ at the headquarters of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB). From that point on, SEGIB and the governments of Argentina and Brazil expressed interest in the issue and developed a concept document to lay the groundwork for the launch of an Ibero-American initiative to help eliminate congenital transmission of the disease. Thus, in 2021, during the XXVII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Andorra, the initiative ‘Not a single baby with Chagas: the path towards new generations free of Chagas’ was approved. It proposes a multidimensional approach to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of the disease. The initiative represents a concrete commitment to eliminating the disease as a public health problem, in line with the goals set out in the WHO’s 2030 Road Map for Neglected Tropical Diseases.
‘Not a single baby with Chagas’ was created to renew, drive forward, and complement the commitments made by member countries in the prevention and control of Chagas disease, with a particular focus on eliminating congenital transmission, and has three main objectives:
- To improve the capacity of national health services to prevent, diagnose, and treat the disease, prioritising women of childbearing age, pregnant women, and their children.
- To expand the reach of diagnosis and treatment.
- To strengthen epidemiological and entomological surveillance by implementing monitoring systems that ensure effective detection and response to transmission.
Since its creation, the initiative, developed within the framework of SEGIB, has received the commitment of eight countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Spain, Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay. Paraguay currently holds the presidency, having succeeded Brazil in October 2024.
Fundación Mundo Sano participates in the initiative as the technical unit. In addition, an advisory committee made up of various organisations and institutions supports the member countries by providing guidance. The committee includes WHO and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), as well as other institutions with experience in implementing prevention, diagnosis, and treatment actions on the ground in participating countries. In particular: the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), the Chagas Coalition, the ‘Dr Mario Fatala Chaben’ National Institute of Parasitology, and the National Centre for Microbiology of the Carlos III Health Institute.
Progress and results achieved
In recent years, the Initiative has established itself as a forum for regional cooperation that combines action in the field with political coordination. Screening, diagnosis, and treatment activities are currently being implemented in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala, with the goal of reaching thousands of women, pregnant women, and newborns.
Visibility and training have also been key. Through regional conferences focusing on equity, gender, and non-discrimination, and through the training of health teams in the ETMI Plus strategy, sustainable capacities have been strengthened in member countries. These types of actions not only reinforce primary care, but also improve maternal and child indicators and recognise women as protagonists of the strategy, giving them back control over their health.
In turn, the Initiative ensured its continuity until 2030 and reaffirmed the confidence of the participating countries and their commitment to eliminating vertical transmission of Chagas disease as a public health problem.
Joining the No Baby with Chagas Initiative means making a real commitment to public health and social equity. It involves implementing policies that have a direct impact on people’s lives: combating inequality and stigma, guaranteeing the fundamental rights of mothers and babies, and facilitating access to knowledge and international cooperation that accelerate the implementation of effective programmes.
At the same time, joining the initiative opens doors to funding and technical assistance, and by focusing on congenital transmission, it sets a clear and achievable goal: that no baby should be born with Chagas disease.