Prevalence of Chagas disease in inhabitants of Puerto Pinasco – Chaco

Abstract

This study presents the cumulative incidence of positive and negative cases of Chagas disease in individuals aged 2 to 84 years, as part of the university outreach program of UNIDA, conducted in 2024 with the participation of nursing, medical, and kinesiology students and faculty. A total of 46 venous blood samples were collected and subjected to the ELISA test for the detection of Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies. Of the 55 individuals screened, 5% (n=3) tested positive, all of whom were from the Gente Rory Community - Angaite Tribe. A total of 79% (n=43) of the samples were negative, while 16% (n=9) corresponded to individuals who did not undergo laboratory testing. These findings indicate a 5% prevalence of Chagas disease in the population studied in Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay.