While pregnant, Rodr\u00edguez learned she had Chagas disease. Fearing for her baby, she underwent treatment, and thankfully, her daughter tested negative.In Mexico, Elvira Idalia Hern\u00e1ndez Cuevas first heard of Chagas when her 18-year-old daughter tested positive after donating blood. Caused by \u201ckissing bugs,\u201d the disease often goes undetected.<\/p>\n
Identified in 1909, Chagas is common in Latin America but has spread worldwide. It infects humans through insect bites and feces. The CDC estimates 8 million cases in Latin America, and the WHO reports up to 7 million globally.<\/p>\n
Many don\u2019t know they\u2019re infected, and if untreated, it can cause fatal heart and digestive issues,Hern\u00e1ndez struggled to find treatment due to misdiagnoses and criticized the Mexican government for downplaying the disease.As a neglected tropical disease, Chagas gets little attention. It spreads through blood transfusions, organ transplants, and mother-to-child transmission,<\/p>\n
Treatment options work in infants but cause severe side effects in adults. Moore stresses the need for better medications, but drug companies lack incentives. Hern\u00e1ndez continues raising awareness as FINDECHAGAS president.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While pregnant, Rodr\u00edguez learned she had Chagas disease. Fearing for her baby, she underwent treatment, and thankfully, her daughter tested negative.In Mexico, Elvira Idalia Hern\u00e1ndez Cuevas first… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n