🇦🇷Chagas: A silent killer l Witness

Filmmaker: Ricardo Preve
Chagas is a deadly disease that has affected millions of people, but one Argentinian doctor is trying to stop it.
It is deadly, it is spreading quickly, and most of the world has never heard of it. Chagas, a parasitic disease, is spread by the vinchuca bug's bite.
In rural Argentina, villagers speak of "muerte subita" or rapid death caused by Chagas. It can eat away at the cardiac muscle until the patient's heart ruptures. It can devour the intestinal wall leading to toxicity and massive internal bleeding. It is incurable in adults and, while it is not always fatal, it is almost always debilitating.
Chagas affects more than 15 million people worldwide, most of them in Latin America and may kill as many as 50,000 each year.
With more and more rural to urban migration, the disease is migrating as well. While it is easy to diagnose with a blood test, it presents few obvious symptoms, so many of those infected may never be properly diagnosed or treated until the disease attacks.
FILMMAKER'S VIEW
I grew up in Salta Province in northwestern Argentina where the Chagas disease is prevalent. Many years later, when I started working as a filmmaker, I found out that my childhood best friend was afflicted by the disease.
I started trying to find out what could be done to help him. But I was immediately struck by the level of ignorance of the general public about what Chagas is, and about the profound human and economic cost of this disease to our society. At times, it seemed to me that I was the only one concerned about telling the Chagas story.
So I decided to use my camera to present the daily lives of those who are suffering from the disease, and to speak to professionals, like Doctor Gustavo Farrugia, who dedicate their lives to fighting Chagas.
One of the first things I learned while trying to make this documentary is that the project was a lot more challenging than I had anticipated. As a film director, I have to communicate a visual language made up of images, yet Chagas is a disease that has few external symptoms.
A person who we may be interviewing for the documentary could be seriously sick, but there is little visual evidence to show on screen.
Even the dreaded "vinchuca", the insect that transmits the disease, is a master at hiding, concealing itself in the cracks of walls and ceilings of rural homes during the day and only coming out at night to bite and infect people. We had to really consider how best we would present a documentary about such an invisible threat.
Despite the logistical challenges of making this film, I soon learned that Chagas is not so much a medical problem, as a political and social issue. To me, Chagas is a symbolic manifestation of the level of abandonment and carelessness that governments around the world show to those who are poor.
Doctor Carlos Chagas, the man who discovered the disease, once said: "Speak about this illness and you will have all the governments against you."
But maybe the tide is turning. Through making this documentary, I met many health workers, researchers, and social activists who supported me in the production of this film, sharing their experiences and knowledge in the hope that their support will raise awareness and ultimately help Chagas sufferers everywhere.
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[@micheletwilkinson-penningt6940]

I am embarrassed to say that I have never even heard of Chagas before. And, the only reason I was watching this video was because it was next on the play list. This was a bit of an education for me. My respect to those Doctor's for what they are doing. Thank you for posting.

[@susanyoung8104]

Thank you. FYI, there are 65 native species of assassin bug (vinchuca) in Florida. And Over 300,000 diagnosed Chagas cases across the US. And no doubt many MORE patients with heart problems, CFS, and gut mega colon, still undiagnosed. This insect needs to be taken as seriously as mosquitoes and ticks, and their diseases.

[@SuperBaqlawa]

My heart goes to those who live in such conditions and yet they do not complain and I am very sorry to see kids in such way as well as in civilized world we are failed to help people. Argentina is a very big country and has very nice conditions nowadays and I hope there will be many doctor's like this one who is very warm hearted towards his fellow citizen so I salute him and wish him more and more success and I hope the issues will be faced and resolved. Peace

[@MariasBelieves]

Omgood those bugs look like what we call brick bugs here in America. My God 😬

[@davidgomez3243]

Wish I could help. These are great, humbled people just trying to get by. May God bless them all.🙏

[@MatchaCocoaDog]

I'm in South America now doing a global health program through medical school and we're studying these bugs and going house to house searching for their removal so people don't get bit. It's a terrible pest!

[@MsColdCanada]

I'm Canadian and had not previously heard of this disease or the insect that spreads it. The travelers I know haven't been extensively to South America though. I share your hope for it's cure and elimination of transmission.

[@juniorfsonline]

what an honorable job these doctors have I hope the number of people in such condition to reeduce the next years

[@Bilbo940]

As long as the triatominae (known commonly as vinchuca in south America) there is very small chance of contraction, although it can be transmitted by blood or contaminated food as well. I think even with the housing available people would be able to do daily checks for the bugs and if not completle get rid of them atleast reduce their numbers significantly.

[@ursula.m8265]

This disease is very old and is all over South America.

[@shyF0x]

there is some old famous Argentine movie about city doctors doing exactly this, anyone remember it?

[@kanjinkattu]

OMG..What a disease

[@virtuvianTrace]

Uplifting!

[@shredderss4life]

chaga is a healer... im drinking it right now...

[@Tribuneoftheplebs]

Give them bed nets like in Africa

[@zaicolainen]

shyF0x its called "Casas de Fuego" (imdb: /title/tt0109385/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

[@shyF0x]

thank you!!!

[@ittheclownbbcchannel5053]

Meth helps me with the symptoms of chagas☺

[@tonyboroni6949]

I I also got charges disease from a bed bug and a kissing bug these things can be drawn out with ucaliptus and tee tree oil some of them have entered my blood and I hAve heart racing and soreness in my body there 1/50 1/30 mm can see if have good eye site most people can not see but some like me can see there like black slugs that barrow I got some but so tiny I'm scared that I will die now and I am go a get tested for it but I'm also scared that the test will come back files negative to chaga and I get no treatment I'm from Melbourne Australiana and docktetes here are dumb and uneducated.