What kills more people every year than malaria in 21 Latin American countries?

In South America, a condition known as Chagas disease, transmitted by insects, kills more people every year than malaria. Most of the victims are children. However, new child-sized doses of medication are about to be distributed throughout the region.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (Catholic Online) - Until now, children were treated by administering doses of medication cut from adult tablets. However, the process of breaking up the tablets, crushing them and mixing them into water has proven unsafe. Many of the parents responsible for administering the medication to their children, are uneducated and untrained, and often give too much medication to their children, or sometimes not enough. This is especially troublesome because the doses have to be prepared twice a day, every day for 60 days.

Frequently, the children already live in unsanitary conditions and have limited access to clean water.

By doing something so simple as developing and child-sized doses of medication, parents will no longer have to guess or approximate how much medication to give their children. They will be able to give the right amount every time for the duration of the treatment and eliminate the risk of over or under dosing their children.

It is also hoped that by standardizing the medication into child-sized doses, doctors and parents both will be more willing to give the medication to children.

Chagas disease is a significant illness infecting between eight and 10 million people per year in Latin America. Of that number, approximately 12,000 people die, mostly from heart problems caused by the parasite.

The parasite is known as Trypanosoma cruzi, and is itself transmitted through the bite of bloodsucking insects which locals call "vinchuca". These insects have a particular fondness for living in the cracks of mud walled homes. For this reason, they infest typically poor residences which means that poor people, often in rural areas, with limited access to medical attention are most often the victims of this disease.

In addition to being transmitted by bites, the disease can be transmitted through blood transfusions, organ transplants, contaminated food, and even be given from the mother to the child in pregnancy.

If the disease is detected early, the patients can be treated and cured. However, if the disease is not detected early, long-term chronic illness can result. Over the long-term, life-threatening heart conditions and digestive system disorders will develop.

Chagas disease is widely regarded as a children's disease because children tend to be the most frequent victims. However, the disease affects adults as well. Approximately 14,000 children per year are born with the disease contracted from their mothers.

Still, a course of treatment given in the first year of life can cure over 90 percent of the maternally transmitted cases. 

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It is now hoped that by doing a simple thing such as distributing child sized doses of the drug, this terrible disease can finally be brought under control. 

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