Colombia advances efforts to eliminate Chagas disease

Colombia is advancing efforts to eliminate Chagas disease, an infection caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. As part of the Plan for the Elimination of Transmissible Diseases, a pre-verification process was conducted during May and June 2026 to evaluate progress in interrupting vector transmission.

The strategy focuses on strengthening surveillance, ensuring timely diagnosis, and implementing prevention measures, particularly in areas with a history of transmission. It also aims to maintain health service capacities to detect and treat affected individuals. Early diagnosis and treatment are highlighted as critical, as the disease is almost entirely curable in its initial stages.

These actions align with a regional initiative by the Pan American Health Organization, which aims to eliminate more than 30 transmissible diseases and related conditions in the Americas by 2030.