Posted on 05/30/2012 7:42:36 AM PDT by bkopto
Thanks for the ping.
Chagas Disease: “The New HIV/AIDS of the Americas”
There are additional parallels. Chagas disease has emerged as an important blood transfusion–related risk throughout the Americas just as HIV/AIDS did in the early 1980s, prior to the implementation of widespread blood screening and testing [18]–[20]. Moreover, mother-to-child transmission leading to congenital Chagas disease and other adverse neonatal outcomes is increasingly recognized [21]–[24] (Table 2). Both congenital Chagas disease and HIV/AIDS have a recognized clinical syndrome [21], [25], with adverse birth outcomes as well as deleterious maternal effects in pregnancy [22], [23], [26]. During pregnancy, the rate of vertical transmission of T. cruzi infection is approximately 5% (although some investigators believe the rate could be as high as 10%), whereas it is 15%–40% for untreated HIV/AIDS [27] and 1%–2% for mothers who receive antiretroviral therapy [28]. The Pan American Health Organization estimates that there are over 14,000 cases of congenital Chagas disease in Latin America [29], with 2,000 newborns infected annually in North America alone [24], compared to 36,000 pediatric HIV/AIDS cases in Latin America [15].FReepmail me if you want on or off my combined microbiology/immunology ping list.
The Daily Mail website crashed on me twice, so I gave up on it, but the titles look awfully similar.
You lucked out...
You are so correct! It looks like another attempt to draw attention from the fact that AIDS is behaviorally spread. In the case of AIDS, if you avoid the risky behavior, you will avoid the disease. An arthropod-borne disease is much harder to avoid if you live in an endemic area. I give blood regularly and they do ask if you have ever had Chaga’s disease as a part of the medical history, but the chances of infection by receiving blood from an infected donor is much less than acquiring the infection from the bite of the “kissing bug”.
You are so correct! It looks like another attempt to draw attention from the fact that AIDS is behaviorally spread. In the case of AIDS, if you avoid the risky behavior, you will avoid the disease. An arthropod-borne disease is much harder to avoid if you live in an endemic area. I give blood regularly and they do ask if you have ever had Chaga’s disease as a part of the medical history, but the chances of infection by receiving blood from an infected donor is much less than acquiring the infection from the bite of the “kissing bug”.
when a country is invaded literally by 3rd world people..
Whaddya expect?
That is one regal retinue there!
That’s what you think. Bugs can travel in/on anything. Airline Luggage, Wheels on a plane a bus or car, in a vehicle, in/or on a person.
Thy didn’t die this year and we have got Brazilians and central Americans by the boatload, good luck with loving New England!
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