Latin America countries meet in Paraguay to plan the next five years of work against congenital Chagas disease

Last November, Asunción (Paraguay) held the meeting of the Ibero-American Initiative “No Baby with Chagas: The Path to New Generations Free of Chagas”. This initiative, promoted by the SEGIB and made up of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay, is committed to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease in the region.

The VI Meeting of the Intergovernmental Council was led by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare of Paraguay, as one of the most important political and technical forums for strengthening Ibero-American cooperation on the elimination of congenital transmission of Chagas disease, through integrated approaches and multilateral cooperation.

The meeting brought together representatives of governments and international organizations, including the Pan American Health Organization, the Advisory Commission, and the initiative’s technical unit, operated by the Mundo Sano Foundation.

The meeting focused on evaluating progress and defining the regional roadmap for the next five years

During three days, delegations reviewed the progress achieved since the Initiative’s launch in 2019, including efforts to integrate maternal and child health services, expand access to diagnosis, and strengthen technical capacities in member countries.

The meeting also included working sessions dedicated to formulating the strategic plan, which will establish common priorities, regional goals, areas of cooperation, and monitoring mechanisms for the next five years. Representatives also exchanged experiences, challenges, and best practices developed in each country to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of mother-to-child transmission of the disease, and strengthened partnerships with international organizations, civil society, and technical stakeholders supporting this regional agenda.

A Regional Commitment to Ensure No Baby Is Born with Chagas Disease

The Ibero-American Initiative “No Baby with Chagas Disease” was created as an expression of the shared will of Ibero-American countries to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease through a multidimensional approach that strengthens health systems, expands access to diagnosis and treatment, and reinforces epidemiological and entomological surveillance.

With women of childbearing age, pregnant women, and newborns at the center of the action, this Initiative not only advances health but also promotes equity, social justice, and the exercise of the right to health in the most vulnerable contexts.

The Initiative reaffirms that through cooperation, innovation, and sustained political will vertical transmission of Chagas disease in Ibero-America could be controlled as a public health problem.