History, Epidemiology, and Risk Factors
Chagas disease is endemic throughout much of Mexico and most countries in Central and South America, where an estimated 8 to 11 million people are infected.
Triatomine bugs infest poorly constructed houses in endemic countries. In the absence of control measures, vectorborne transmission risk is highest for people who live in this type of housing.
Map of Chagas endemic countries (Larger map with detailed legend on next page).
A house in southern Peru with unmortared brick is susceptible to triatomine infestation. Photo: C.Bern, CDC
A house in an endemic area with cracked mud walls. Photo courtesy of WHO/TDR/Mark Edwards, Brazil, 1992.
