Following the successful launch and impactful contributions of our first article collection “New opportunities for diagnosis and control of Chagas Disease to reach the 2030 goals for elimination”, we are happy to present Volume II of this series. This new volume continues to build upon the critical tools and strategies for prompt diagnosis and early treatment of Chagas Disease.

Chagas Disease (ChD) was first described by Carlos Chagas in 1909 in Minas Gerais (Brazil); he discovered microorganisms, which were later named Trypanosoma cruzi, within insects called "barbeiros" or kissing bugs that fed on humans. First, he showed that these kinetoplastids could infect animals experimentally, and later, he found a sick 2-year-old girl with the infection, thus discovering the disease. Today, over 115 years since its discovery, vector transmission is still a reality, together with other routes of transmission such as blood transfusions, oral contamination, organ transplants, and from mother to child during pregnancy. This has broadened the traditional niche of ChD from rural to urban centers and from Latin America to the rest of the world, through human migration patterns. Currently, it is estimated that 70 million people are at risk of vector infection, more than 7 million people are infected with T. cruzi worldwide, and over 1 million suffer from ChD-related heart or digestive disease. However, only a small percentage have access to testing, and even fewer have access to specific anti-parasitic treatments.

Historically, the focus for ChD control was based on measures directed toward the vector. Today, with globalization and advances in vector control, the focus has widened to include the prevention of infection from blood transfusions and mother-to-child transmission, which can occur both in endemic and non-endemic countries. Yet, children from untreated mothers are still born with ChD all over the world, and most infected people don't have access to testing and treatment. To advance the control and elimination of ChD in both endemic and non-endemic areas, it is crucial to integrate the disease into the regular health system. This means adopting a broader approach that moves beyond traditional views, ensuring that diagnosis and treatment are accessible where affected individuals reside.

Frontiers in Parasitology is proud to continue offering this platform to promote innovative research and practical strategies that drive progress towards ChD elimination. This Research Topic aims to collect studies that present novel or established strategies for ChD diagnosis and early treatment, designed for integration into the primary health system, in order to:

• Identify how many people are affected by ChD and where they live.

• Interrupt mother-to-child transmission of T. cruzi in endemic and non-endemic areas.

• Identify access barriers for the implementation of these types of approaches.

We welcome the submissions of Brief Research Reports, Clinical Trials, Methods, Mini Reviews, Opinions, Original Research, Perspectives, and Review articles.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

New opportunities for diagnosis and control of Chagas Disease to reach the 2030 goals for elimination - Volume II