Chagas' disease currently affects 16 million people and 100 million people are thought to be at risk of contracting the disease. Of these 16 million people, 30% will develop debilitating lesions that characterise the incurable form of the disease. It is responsible for an economic loss to the endemic countries of South America of at least £4 billion/year. This type of economical loss combined with the financial benefits of effective control means that trypanosomiasis control is very high on the agenda for Latin American governments. [1]
             Chagas' disease has only recently been recognised as the most serious parasitic disease of the Americas; their social & economic impacts outweigh the combined effects of other parasitic diseases such as Malaria, Schistosomiasis and Leishmaniasis [5]. In 1991 a program, known as the "Southern Cone Initiative", was created and it is the organisation currently responsible for eliminating transmission of the parasite responsible for transmission. Figure 1 shows which are the Southern Cone Countries, and gives us a clue to how widespread the disease is. [2] & [3]
             Carlos Chagas, who discovered the disease in 1909, knew that;
             1. People living in poor housing conditions were most likely going to suffer from the disease because;
             • The disease is caused by a flagellate parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Its main vector is Triatoma infestans.
             • Adults and larvae of the insects live in a domestic habitat and can be found assembled during daylight inside wall crevices in the house.
             • They become active at night when going in search of their host.
             2. '...the fundamental point for intervention would involve vector control.'
             Clinical treatment of Chagas' is difficult. How are we going to control a disease where no current vaccine exists? The WHO (World Health Organisation) believes that Chagas' disease can be overcome via inte...