Quick Facts

Over 6 million people worldwide, from Japan to London and from California to Argentina, have Chagas disease
There are over 300,000 cases of Chagas disease in the United States, but <1% know they have it. This includes up to 60,000 people who have already suffered irreversible heart damage.
Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease, can exist quietly in your body for decades before making you feel sick
Chagas disease produces over $658 million in healthcare costs annually worldwide, with nearly $120 million in the U.S. alone (Lee et al. 2013)
Chagas disease was discovered in 1909 by Brazilian researcher Carlos Chagas
The first diagnosis of Chagas disease in the United States occurred in Texas in 1955
Chagas disease was found in human remains in Texas dating from the thirteenth century
Chagas disease has been found in 9,000 year-old mummified remains in Chile
Chagas disease is also found in dogs, cats, raccoons, opossums, armadillos, and other mammals