Next stop on the Chagas Bus: Breaking the Silence in Bolivia

How could I say “no” to the opportunity to travel around Bolivia - one of the world’s poorest but also most beautiful countries - in an old school bus for a Médicos Sin Fronteras (MSF) information and advocacy campaign? Recently I packed up my apartment in New York and boarded a plane to La Paz; so here I am on my first MSF field assignment, a project that aims to “break the silence” about Chagas, a neglected and potentially fatal tropical disease.

The Chagas Bus on the road from La Paz to Cochabamba

Dr. Fidel Fernandez, Director of the Departmental Chagas Program - Cochabamba

As a mochilera and cicloturista several years ago, I fell in love with Bolivia - with her absurdly high cities and green valleys, her infinite ways of preparing potatoes and llama knitwear, her ubiquitous political (and sentimental) graffiti.

It’s against this backdrop that we are launching a project to raise awareness of Chagas, a parasitic disease endemic throughout the Americas. Bolivia is the hardest hit of endemic countries, with an astonishing 10% of the population believed to carry the parasite. Yet most of the Bolivians who have Chagas don’t know much about the disease, don’t know they have it, and may die without ever knowing the name of the disease that killed them. Chagas was discovered 100 years ago – for far too long, a silent disease.

After visiting the exhibit and informing themselves, visitors can test their knowledge about Chagas disease at the Ruleta de Adivinanzas, a guessing game.

MSF nurse Rosalia explains the importance of diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease to a group of visitors.

MSF’s project, the “Bus Chagas,” will make Chagas hard to ignore. Our bright red 1981 model school bus will soon depart on a journey that takes our MSF team from the dizzying altiplano to the steamy eastern lowlands, through the desert lands of the Chaco and the central valleys. When the “Bus Chagas” rolls into town, we’ll set up a variety of activities, informing people about how to prevent the transmission of Chagas disease, encouraging them to seek out testing and treatment, and encouraging them to educate the rest of their community.

Dr. Isabel Gonzales shows a young visitor a model of the life cycle of the vinchuca, the insect vector that transmits Chagas disease.

MSF physician Isabel Gonzales educates a couple about another form of Chagas disease transmission - the parasite can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy.

I’m working with a great team, and in the coming weeks we’ll see some contributions from all of them to this blog: Isabel, a doctor who has first-hand experience treating Chagas; Miguel, our logistician, who is always happiest wielding a power tool; Agustín, a young nurse eager to help the less fortunate through health education; and the most key person, our driver, Pedro, who will ensure that all of us, and the Bus Chagas, arrive safely to dozens of sites across Bolivia!

Young visitors to the Chagas Bus test their knowledge at the Ruleta de Adivinanzas, a guessing game.

Local press in Cochabamba interview Field Coordinator Mary Vonckx as MSF nurse Rosalia distributes information.

There’s a long way to go. Last weekend, our first visitor to the Bus Chagas was a woman who was diagnosed with Chagas four years ago. She quit treatment early because of side effects; she told us, “I came to talk to you because I hoped that a new treatment was available now.” We hope she doesn’t have to wait much longer.

You can keep up with the Bus Chagas here on our 20 Minutos blog and learn more about the international campaign at www.chagas-rompe-el-silencio.com. ¡Súbete al Bus Chagas y ayudanos a romper el silencio!

Biography

I’m Mary Vonckx, Field Coordinator for Medicos Sin Fronteras (MSF) in Bolivia. I make my home in New York, but currently I’m traveling around this beautiful South American country in a vintage school bus, managing an innovative MSF campaign to raise awareness about Chagas disease. Chagas is a disease of poverty, a forgotten crisis, a silent killer – our goal is to break the silence. For more information, please check out our campaign website, www.chagas-rompe-el-silencio.com.