Control of Chagas Disease

The most important transmission routes of Chagas disease are via the vector, congenital, and through blood transfusions.

Therefore, the principal components of Chagas disease control programs in endemic countries are:

• Campaigns to spray houses and peri-domestic structures (e.g. shed or animal enclosure) with insecticide, plus housing improvement programs to decrease infestation risk
• Blood bank screening to identify and remove T. cruzi-contaminated units and defer infected donors
• Screening of pregnant women and testing of newborns of T. cruzi-infected mothers