Chagas Access Project

Objective: Demonstrate the feasibility of scaling up access to diagnosis and treatment in pilot projects that can then be replicated on a larger scale by implementing a simplified care roadmap in primary health care

In 2015, DNDi launched the Chagas Access Project to increase access to diagnosis and treatment for Chagas disease. Working in collaboration with local, regional, and national partners in several endemic countries, DNDi has launched a series of projects to pilot new models of patient-centred care with a test-and-treat approach. 

The new patient-centred approach was first implemented in Colombia in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MSPS), the Colombian National Health Institute (INS), and other partners working together to support the implementation of a comprehensive roadmap for Chagas care.

In the United States, DNDi has also collaborated with the Center of Excellence for Chagas Disease at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on work to identify the main barriers to treatment access and promote of testing and treatment. Through the project, the first large-scale prevalence study on Chagas disease in a major US city was published, describing findings from the Center’s community screening programme in Los Angeles. The project also conducted research with patients in Los Angeles to understand the main barriers to accessing treatment and care.

Photo credit: Felipe Abondano-DNDi