Catalonia consolidates the implementation of congenital Chagas screening

It is estimated that 100,000 are affected by Chagas disease in Europe. 50 to 70,000 of those could be in Spain, which is an usual passageway for migratory movements from the 21 Latin American countries where Chagas is endemic.

In June 2024, the Ministry of Health of Spain approved a prenatal screening protocol for Chagas disease, available in all areas of the country in two years. However, some regions have been offering these screenings for years. The Region of Murcia became in 2022 the first in the world to control congenital Chagas, a milestone that certified by WHO on March 28.

Catalonia implemented a Program for the Prevention and Control of Congenital Chagas Disease in 2010 and improved the screening protocol in 2018 for all Latin American pregnant women and their children.

In October 2024 the health department published a report to analyze the data recorded in the period 2010-2022, from a total of 1,773 pregnant women affected by the T. cruzi, the parasite causing this Neglected Tropical Disease.

In this study, most of the women are originally from Bolivia and arrived and have an undetermined form of chronic Chagas disease (95.1%). Approximately half of the cases were diagnosed during pregnancy, although the amount of earlier detection increased steadily. 34 affected newborns have been diagnosed out of the 75,349 babies born to mothers from endemic countries. Diagnosis was confirmed mostly after birth, by PCR or serology, followed by pediatric treatment with Benznidazole.

The prevalence rate of Chagas disease among pregnant women and those with a positive diagnosis of Chagas has progressively decreased to 0.72% in 2022. Likewise, the annual rate of congenital transmission by T. cruzi to newborns out of the total number of births has stood at 2.6%.

The Programme for the Prevention and Control of Congenital Chagas Disease in Catalonia has been consolidated over the years with a progressive improvement. According to the report, the implementation of these territorial experiences to the common services of the National Health System, Spain shows its commitment to combat mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease, which would also have an impact in the rest of Europe.

Read the full report HERE (in Spanish)