01704nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001653001900042653002200061653001100083653001400094100001800108700001500126700001200141700001200153700002100165700002200186245009000208520118600298022001401484       2019                            d10aChagas disease10aCongenital Chagas10aStigma10aMorbidity1 aParra-Henao G1 aOliveros H1 aHotez P1 aMotoa G1 aFranco-Paredes C1 aHenao-Martínez A00aIn Search of Congenital Chagas Disease in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.3 a<p>Chagas disease remains a major impediment to sustainable socioeconomic development in Latin America. Transplacental transmission explains the persistence of transmission in urban areas, in non-endemic regions, and in areas with an established interrupted vectorial transmission. One of every five cases of congenital Chagas disease in the world occurs in Colombia and Venezuela. The massive migration of impoverished populations from neighboring Venezuela has worsened the situation creating a humanitarian crisis in Northeastern Colombia, including the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The prevalence of Chagas infection among pregnant women in these areas is higher than the national average, and the public health resources are insufficient. This perspective discusses the associated increased morbidity and mortality of congenital Chagas in this region, where stigmatization contributes to the impression among health authorities and the general population that it affects indigenous communities only. The monitoring and control of congenital Chagas disease in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta is a public health necessity that demands urgent and effective interventions.</p>
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