Social inequalities and health: a case for social justice with a focus on Chagas disease

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel takes up the conference proposition, to promote a hemispheric vision of justice and inclusion, by focusing on the complexities of the neglected tropical disease (NTD) Chagas. The problematic raised by Chagas in endemic Latin American countries and the US, as well as in non-endemic countries in Europe (where Chagas is prevalent through migration flows) can not be addressed other than through a more inclusive and egalitarian definition of justice (that José Martí proposed). While it is the case that NTDs are more prevalent in low-income countries and among poorer households, migratory flows have increased the prevalence of NTD is non-endemic and middle and high-income countries in Europe. The WHO has repeatedly called for increased efforts to address NTD globally, as a concern with social justice and a matter of human rights.
With this grander theoretical perspective as framework, we address the socio-political and economic context of Chagas in different locations around the world. Panellists consider the issue from various perspectives and backgrounds: sociological and anthropological analyses of barriers to health in migrant communities in the global north, public health perspectives on access to treatment and transnational institutional collaborations to address health gaps. These discussions, therefore are not only relevant for the case of Chagas, but are indeed a question of justice in health promotion and provision important for other NTD and chronic health concerns in general.

Sub Track

• Health Studies

Session Organizer

• Marina Gold, Bergen University

Chair

• Kota Yoshioka

Individual Presentations

• The impact of inequalities on health perceptions among Latin Americans in Geneva - Marina Gold, Bergen University

• Barriers to treating a globally neglected disease among deeply marginalized communities in Boston, Massachusetts - Julia Koehler

• Double jeopardy, double need for social justice: Chagas disease among Mexican immigrants in the U.S. - Alba R Valdez-Tah

• Health policies on preventing the transmission of Chagas parasite in Switzerland and experiences of migrant pregnant women from Latin America. - Elise Rapp, University of Lausanne (UNIL) and Haute Ecole de Santé Vaud (HESAV)

• Designing access to Chagas disease treatment in the United States - Kota Yoshioka