Gabrielli Simona, Macchioni Fabio, Spinicci Michele, Strohmeyer Marianne, Roselli Mimmo, Nicoletti Alessandra, Cicero Calogero Edoardo, Poma Veronica, Rojo David, Lara Yunni, Gómez Elizabeth Blanca Crespo, Rojas Patricia, Gamboa Herlan, Villagran Ana Liz, Cosmi Francesco, Monasterio Joaquín, Cancrini Gabriella, Bartoloni Alessandro
Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Università di Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
Trop Med Infect Dis. 2022 Sep 29;7(10):275. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed7100275.
The Bolivian Chaco is a semiarid region with a low population density, situated in the southeast part of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Here, despite the improvements of the last 15 years, poverty remains high in rural areas, where social vulnerability is widespread. The Guaraní ethnic group often lives in isolated communities with a low standard of hygiene and sanitation. This epidemiological scenario favors the spread of transmissible diseases, including several parasitic infections belonging to the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) group. In this area, a long-standing research activity, built upon the synergism between local and foreign institutions, has been established since the late 1980s and helps to fill in the knowledge gap about the epidemiology dynamics of soil-transmitted helminths, vector-borne parasites, and other parasitic diseases. A 35-year history of cooperation programs in parasitology research has contributed to informing local health authorities of the NTD burden in the Bolivian Chaco and, ultimately, supports local healthcare providers in the management of parasitic diseases.
玻利维亚查科地区是一个半干旱地区，人口密度低，位于多民族玻利维亚国的东南部。尽管在过去15年里情况有所改善，但农村地区的贫困率仍然很高，社会脆弱性普遍存在。瓜拉尼族经常生活在卫生和环境卫生标准较低的孤立社区。这种流行病学情况有利于传染病的传播，包括几种属于被忽视热带病（NTDs）组的寄生虫感染。自20世纪80年代末以来，在当地和外国机构之间的协同作用基础上，该地区开展了长期的研究活动，有助于填补关于土壤传播蠕虫、病媒传播寄生虫和其他寄生虫病流行病学动态的知识空白。35年的寄生虫学研究合作项目历史有助于让当地卫生当局了解玻利维亚查科地区的NTD负担，并最终支持当地医疗服务提供者管理寄生虫病。
