Chagas Disease:
Break the Silence - Time to Treat

Thursday, October 1, 2009 - 7:30 PM

The Broad Stage
1310 11th St.
Santa Monica, CA

Please join Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) for a moderated panel discussion on Chagas disease, a forgotten illness that threatens over 100 million people throughout the Americas.

Between 8 and 15 million people are already infected with Chagas, and thousands die each year from the disease.

100 years after the discovery of the disease, few of the millions of patients needing treatment for Chagas are ever diagnosed or receive treatment. When they do, they are treated with drugs that are known to be toxic. In addition, no pediatric formulation is currently available, even though the acute form of the disease primarily afflicts children.

Chagas is caused by an infection of Trypanosoma cruzi, a deadly parasite that is passed to humans through the bite of the vinchuca bug (also known as the chinche, barbiero, assassin, or kissing bug). The disease primarily afflicts poor, marginalized populations in the 21 Latin American countries where the disease is endemic, but due to population flows, Chagas is increasingly present in urban habitats, as well as in non-endemic countries in North America and Europe.

The discussion will be moderated by award-winning journalist Julio Cesar Ortiz, Univision 34 News Reporter.  On stage will be three experts in the field; Dr. Tom Ellman, a physician who heads MSF’s Chagas treatment and prevention program in Bolivia; Dr. Sheba Meymandi, Director, Center of Excellence for Chagas Disease, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, the only treatment program for Chagas disease in the United States; and Dr. Bernard Pecoul, Executive Director of DNDi, a non-profit pharmaceutical research and development organization working to develop new and improved treatments for some of the world’s most neglected illnesses, including Chagas.

Dr. Ellman will share MSF’s experience treating Chagas in Bolivia and discuss ways to scale up in endemic countries, while Dr. Meymandi will share her experience treating people in the LA-area for Chagas. Dr. Pecoul of DNDi will discuss the challenges in developing new treatments for Chagas disease.

This event is free, wheelchair accessible, and open to the public. Free parking is available.

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