Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to see Ricardo Preve’s documentary “Chagas: A Hidden Affliction” at a screening in Washington, DC. Preve, a filmmaker who hails from the Chagas-endemic northwest region of Argentina, made this movie to raise awareness after a friend was diagnosed with the disease.
I loved the film, but it brought home to me how many people are unaware of Chagas disease. The opening segment portrays individuals being approached Michael Moore-style by the camera crew in Charlottesville, VA.

“Have you heard of Chagas?” Preve asks each one.

The answers: “No.” “No.” “No.”

In fact, most people haven’t heard of the disease, and that is a big problem because Chagas afflicts between 8 and 15 million people per year in the Americas, and an additional 100 million are at risk. It is endemic in 21 countries in the Western Hemisphere, and it kills more people per year in Latin America than any other parasitic disease.

Clearly, this disease should be taken seriously. So, why are patients still taking benznidazole and nifurtimox—the only two available drugs—which have terrible side effects and toxicities and can’t cure the disease in the chronic stage? Why aren’t more funds being directed to R&D for a new drug, a test of cure, and better diagnostics?

I wish I knew. What I will tell you is that Chagas has historically afflicted the poorest of the poor. The insects that spread the disease live in the cracks in the walls and the roofs of sub-standard housing, and governments have paid scant attention to the needs of these people, particularly for a disease with few visible symptoms.

While introducing the film, Preve recounted a story about his mother. When he was about ten, his mother approached government officials in Argentina to ask them to help eliminate the vinchucas (“kissing” bugs) in order to prevent Chagas disease. The official laughed and told her not to worry. “In a few years, this area will be developed, and the disease won’t be a problem,” he said confidently.

That was decades ago.

Now, Preve urges viewers to “focus on treatment” for the millions of people that are already infected. We at BIO Ventures for Global Health could not agree more. But for a disease where the “treatment” is so terribly substandard, that means that we must focus both on treatment and on research and development.

We urge governments—especially Latin American governments and the United States—to step up and take responsibility for the health needs of their citizens by providing enough funding to pair treatment for patients today with research and development for new drugs, biomarkers, and diagnostics for tomorrow.

Because I really don’t want to have to write this same blog post in 2040.

For more information on the film, which can be ordered online, please see prevefilms.com.

For more information on Chagas disease, please see BVGH’s Neglected Disease Pipeline.

Thayer Hardwick is a Research Analyst at BIO Ventures for Global Health.