PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Leading cause of heart disease ignored in North America's poorest communities

Inaction has jeopardized the health and economic well-being of millions

2013-11-01
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Deborah Elson
deborah.elson@sabin.org
202-621-1691
Public Library of Science
Leading cause of heart disease ignored in North America's poorest communities Inaction has jeopardized the health and economic well-being of millions A leading cause of heart disease remains overlooked in North America's most impoverished communities, researchers said today in an editorial published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Chagas disease has rendered a heavy health and economic toll, yet insufficient political and medical support for gathering specific data, providing diagnosis and treatment, and developing new tools has impeded much-needed breakthroughs.

"We have already identified critical steps to save lives and make breakthroughs in Chagas disease control in North America," said Dr. Peter Hotez, the editorial's lead author, director of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "This is an achievable public health goal that will also reduce the disease's detrimental economic burden. Greater medical awareness, scientific cooperation between key countries, and public-private partnerships will help us beat this scourge."

Chagas disease is a parasitic infection most commonly transmitted through blood-feeding triatomine bugs, but it can also be spread through pregnancy, blood transfusion, and contaminated food or drink. Up to 30% of infections result in debilitating and life-threatening heart disease and severe intestinal and liver complications. People living in extremely impoverished communities are most vulnerable because of poor-quality housing and inadequate access to health care, education and vector control.

Chagas disease infects an estimated 10 million people worldwide; however, much less is known about the true disease burden in North America. According to some preliminary estimates, Mexico ranks third, and the United States seventh, in terms of the number of infected individuals with Chagas disease in the Western Hemisphere, where 99% of the cases occur.

It is also estimated that 40,000 pregnant North American women may be infected with T. cruzi at any given time, resulting in 2,000 congenital cases through mother-to-child transmission.

A lack of facilities offering diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease has prevented at-risk and infected people from receiving the critical and often life-saving attention they need. While two drug treatments currently exist, they cause undesirable adverse effects, are unsafe for pregnant women and are not approved for use in the United States.

"The research community is pushing science as hard as possible to ensure we get new treatments to people living with Chagas disease, but we need to ensure that governments prioritize the disease," said Dr. Bernard Pecoul, a co-author of the editorial and Executive Director of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). "It is urgent to diagnose and treat patients with what we have available today, until research and development efforts deliver true breakthroughs for the millions in need." DNDi has produced a pediatric dosage form of benznidazole for children with Chagas disease, and is currently developing new drug candidates for a truly novel, safe, effective and affordable treatment for all patients.

The Sabin Vaccine Institute's Product Development Partnership (Sabin PDP), in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital and with support from the Slim Initiative for the Development of Neglected Tropical Diseases and from the Southwest Electronic Energy Medical Research, has initiated development for a new therapeutic vaccine.

INFORMATION:

In addition to Dr. Hotez and Dr. Pecoul, the paper's authors include Eric Dumonteil, Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY); Miguel Betancourt Cravioto, Carlos Slim Health Institute; Maria Elena Bottazzi, National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development; Roberto Tapia-Conyer, Carlos Slim Health Institute; Sheba Meymandi, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center; Unni Karunakara, Medecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors Without Borders; Isabela Ribeiro, DNDi; and Rachel M. Cohen, DNDi.

PLEASE ADD THE FOLLOWING LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT: http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002300 (Link will go live upon embargo lift)

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NYU study on incarcerated youth shows potential to lower anti-social behavior and recidivism

2013-11-01
NYU study on incarcerated youth shows potential to lower anti-social behavior and recidivism The researchers investigated the impact of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness training on attentional task performance in incarcerated adolescents Researchers ...

Microbleeds important to consider in brain-related treatments, UCI neurologist says

2013-11-01
Microbleeds important to consider in brain-related treatments, UCI neurologist says Stroke prevention strategies should address both blood clotting, protection of vessels Irvine, Calif., Oct. 31, 2013 — As growing numbers of America's baby boomers reach retirement, ...

Scientists capture most detailed picture yet of key AIDS protein

2013-11-01
Scientists capture most detailed picture yet of key AIDS protein Finding represents a scientific feat and progress towards an HIV vaccine NEW YORK (October 31, 2013) -- Collaborating scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Weill Cornell ...

NIH-funded scientists reveal structure of HIV protein key to cell entry

2013-11-01
NIH-funded scientists reveal structure of HIV protein key to cell entry Finding holds promise for HIV vaccine development Using protein engineering and two different cutting-edge structural biology imaging ...

Plant production could decline as climate change affects soil nutrients

2013-11-01
Plant production could decline as climate change affects soil nutrients As drylands of the world become even drier, water will not be the only resource in short supply. Levels of nutrients in the soil will likely be affected, and their imbalance could affect ...

Supreme Court's Obamacare decision established new limits on federal authority, IU paper says

2013-11-01
Supreme Court's Obamacare decision established new limits on federal authority, IU paper says BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A new paper by an Indiana University professor sheds new light on the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act, which ...

Research finds severe hot flashes reduced with quick neck injection

2013-11-01
Research finds severe hot flashes reduced with quick neck injection A shot in the neck of local anesthesia may reduce hot flashes by as much as 50 percent for at least six months, a recent Northwestern Medicine® study found. "We think we are resetting the thermostat ...

Magnetic 'force field' shields giant gas cloud during collision with Milky Way

2013-11-01
Magnetic 'force field' shields giant gas cloud during collision with Milky Way Doom may be averted for the Smith Cloud, a gigantic streamer of hydrogen gas that is on a collision course with the Milky Way Galaxy. Astronomers using the National Science ...

US policy should encourage highly skilled, foreign Ph.D. students to stay, CU-led study finds

2013-11-01
US policy should encourage highly skilled, foreign Ph.D. students to stay, CU-led study finds Attracting more talented foreign students to study at U.S. universities and encouraging them to launch entrepreneurial ventures here could help "revitalize ...

Knowing who their physician is boosts patient satisfaction

2013-11-01
Knowing who their physician is boosts patient satisfaction Knowing who your doctor is — and a couple of facts about that person — may go a long way toward improving patient satisfaction, according to a Vanderbilt study in the Journal of ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: May 9, 2025

Stability solution brings unique form of carbon closer to practical application

New research illustrates the relationship between moral outrage on social media and activism

New enzyme capable of cleaving cellulose should revolutionize biofuel production

Krebs von den Lungen-6 as a biomarker for distinguishing between interstitial lung disease and interstitial lung abnormalities based on computed tomography findings

Chimpanzee groups drum with distinct rhythms

Wasp mums use remarkable memory when feeding offspring

Americans’ use of illicit opioids is higher than previously reported

Estimates of illicit opioid use in the U.S.

Effectiveness and safety of RSV vaccine for U.S. adults age 60 or older

Mass General Brigham researchers share tool to improve newborn genetic screening

Can frisky flies save human lives?

Heart rhythm disorder traced to bacterium lurking in our gums

American Society of Plant Biologists names 2025 award recipients

Protecting Iceland’s towns from lava flows – with dirt

Noninvasive intracranial source signal localization and decoding with high spatiotemporal resolution

A smarter way to make sulfones: Using molecular oxygen and a functional catalyst

Self-assembly of a large metal-peptide capsid nanostructure through geometric control

Fatty liver in pregnancy may increase risk of preterm birth

World record for lithium-ion conductors

Researchers map 7,000-year-old genetic mutation that protects against HIV

KIST leads next-generation energy storage technology with development of supercapacitor that overcomes limitations

Urine, not water for efficient production of green hydrogen

Chip-scale polydimethylsiloxane acousto-optic phase modulator boosts higher-resolution plasmonic comb spectroscopy

Blood test for many cancers could potentially thwart progression to late stage in up to half of cases

Women non-smokers still around 50% more likely than men to develop COPD

AI tool uses face photos to estimate biological age and predict cancer outcomes

North Korea’s illegal wildlife trade threatens endangered species

Health care workers, firefighters have increased PFAS levels, study finds

Turning light into usable energy

[Press-News.org] Leading cause of heart disease ignored in North America's poorest communities
Inaction has jeopardized the health and economic well-being of millions