Congenital Chagas disease: estimating the potential risk in the United States

Economic hardship and/or political turmoil stimulated migration of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected population from Latin American countries to the United States and Europe; originating cases of Chagas disease were transmitted through blood, organ donation, and vertical transmission. Hispanic immigrant women of reproductive age in the United States coming from Chagas disease-endemic countries accounted for 2,384,644, and 5,841,538 in 1990 and 2000, respectively. Considering the prevalence rates for T. cruzi infection in their country of origin and the risk of newborns from infected mothers to acquire congenital infection as 1.33% and 5%, we estimated that the number of T. cruzi-infected newborns was 85-318 in 1990 and 166-638 in 2000. Diagnosis of infection in the mother and newborns at risk is needed. A high rate of cure is achieved, almost 100%, when the offspring is treated early. Health authorities, professional associations, physicians, and Hispanic groups should pay more attention to the subject.