Statement of the problem
The presentation focuses on an intervention program that is meant to curb the spread of Chaga’s disease in Arizona. While the writer gave the statistics of the impact of the disease, it is not clear whether this statistics represent the global, national or state’s prevalence. It would have been prudent to give the prevalence of the disease among women in Arizona and to narrow the scope of the program to a specific community. The author goes one to state that migration and closeness to the border of endemic areas increases the risk of exposure to the diseases. However, it is not clear whether this applies to females all over the state or to females who live close to the border. It is, therefore, not clear whether the program is targeting women living near the border or all women in the state of Arizona.
Existing literature
The researcher lays a great background for his study. The presentation clearly outlines the disease he is studying, the population affected by the disease and the routes of routes of transmission. From the presentation, I learnt the following: Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease that is transmitted by Trypanasoma curzi protozoan. The disease is endemic in 21 countries and affects 1.5 to 7 million people worldwide. Congenital exposure is one of the ways in which the disease is transmitted. However, the researcher fails to provide statistics of the incidences of congenital exposure within his study area which is Arizona. He also addresses the stages of the disease and the possible intervention strategy. There is no indication whatsoever of whether the statistics on the people suffering from various stages of the disease contracted the disease through congenital exposure.
Methodology
The researcher provided an elaborate methodology. The researcher recruited female participants who are at least of adolescent age through invitations, flyers and posters. There is no indication of the number of participants in the study which is known to have implications on the interpretation of the results of the study. The researcher also fails to give the exact ages of the participants and instead offers a vague description of their ages. The selection group undergoes the following treatment: pre test questionnaire, screening and post test questionnaire. The treatment of the control group is missing from the presentation which leaves room for speculation.
Intervention strategy
The program does not include preventive measures that go beyond the confines of the hospital. One of the factors that increase the risk of transmission is the presence of cracks in buildings. Screening and educating the mothers about the diseases who might be living in dilapidated buildings does not address the environmental risk of exposure to their disease within their residence. Congenital exposure is still likely to occur particularly if the mothers cannot afford alternative accommodation. While the researcher indicated that statistical analysis show point to the efficacy of the strategy, the degree of efficacy is not clear from his statement.
Conclusion
The presentation provides valuable insights into the causes and incidences of Chagas diseases. It also details the routes of transmission. It demonstrates the importance of implementing an intervention strategy in order to curb the congenital transmission of the disease. There are critical aspects that are missing from the presentation. There is no indication of the sample size or age of the participants which are critical aspects of a study. There is no exact degree of the level of efficacy of the intervention strategy.
References
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d). Neglected Parasitic Infections in the United States pdf. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/resources/pdf/npi_chagas.pdf
