Help Stop Chagas Disease

Please help our team stop the spread of Chagas disease. Bolivia is the poorest country in South America, and Chagas disease is a silent killer among the poor. 

The disease afflicts families living in adobe housing in rural areas of the country. It is transmitted by the Vinchuca insect, which thrives in adobe walls and thatched roofs. The parasite enters the victim's bloodstream and can live undetected for decades, while silently destroying internal organs - especially the heart.

With simple home renovations, infection can be prevented. Our team will work together with Bolivian volunteers to do the renovations. Concrete floors are poured to cover the dirt floors, walls and ceilings are plastered, and the thatch roofs are replaced with tin roofs. Because the costs for construction supplies are far beyond the means of the people most affected, our team is raising the money for the homes we renovate.

Once a house is secure from the Vinchuca bug, the entire family is tested for Chagas. A recent study showed that approximately 40% of the families in communities Canadian Baptist Ministries is working tested positive for Chagas. Those who have positive blood tests have an ECG and chest x-ray to determine the level of damage to their heart.

The Chagas project also provides for medicine and treatment. If detection is made within the first five years of infection, a person can be treated and damage to internal organs prevented. With later detection, however, heart damage cannot be reversed, but proper health care can prolong lives.

 Any gift you can make will be appreciated. Thank you.