School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (TMGH) has initiated a grassroots technical cooperation project called the “Improvement Project for Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of Chagas Disease” (Control MaternoInfantil de la enfermedad de Chagas) (COMICH Project) in Laguardia, Santa Cruz Province, Bolivia, South America. This project has been carried out under contract from JICA since February 1, 2024.

  Chagas is a neglected tropical disease caused by a parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi) transmitted to humans by a bug known as the assassin bug. Considering the annual number of births in Bolivia and the percentage of mothers positive for Chagas disease antibodies, it is estimated that approximately 300 to 600 infants per year may be infected through mother-to-child transmission.

  April 14 was World Chagas Day and on Monday, April 15, 2024, a “Chagas Conference” was held in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Gabriel René Moreno (UAGRM).
  The conference was split into two parts. In the morning session, two local consultants of the COMICH project, Dr. Carlos Ramos and Dr. Einar Ampureo, spoke about the diseases, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of Chagas disease. In the afternoon, Yumiko Takehara, stationed coordinator from Nagasaki University, gave a presentation on research related to mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease in Laguardia, the project site. Kenji Hirayama, project manager from Nagasaki University, Japan, also presented a new method of diagnosing newborn babies using the LAMP method. Additionally, three trainees (Dra. Nidia Soria, Ing. Ronaldo Condri, and Dr. Mauricio Garcia) from UAGRM and Santa Cruz Health Department shared their learning and experiences in Japan and their strategies for future projects.

Prof.Hirayama speaks online

COMICH Conference

Andrea Carvallo, a UAGRM graduate, is currently participating in the JICA/SDGs Global Health Leaders Course and is also in her first year of the TMGH Health Innovation Course. She took on the role of an online speaker and proved to be a role model for the students. When a slide was displayed showcasing her hard at work in far-off Japan, it deeply moved the audience to tears.

 During the morning session, 205 attendees were present and there were 250 attendees in the afternoon session. Alongside UAGRM students and faculty, the director of the Health Center in Laguardia, laboratory technicians, and the nurse in charge of Chagas took time out of their work schedules to attend. Some students in the audience were willing to participate in the Grassroots COMICH Project. In collaboration with Nagasaki University, the Health Center of Laguardia City, the Santa Cruz Health Department, and the UAGRM, we will progressively work on the project to enhance measures for preventing mother-to-child transmission of Chagas disease.

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Participants of the Conference 

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JICA Trainees from Bolivia Pay Courtesy Visit to President Takeshi Nagayasu(March 14,2024)