IPCA*: Initiative of the Countries of Central America for Control of Vector-Borne and Transfusional Transmission and Medical Care for Chagas Disease

IPCA Objectives

• Elimination of the vector Rhodnius prolixus.
• Reduction of household infestation by the vector Triatoma dimidiata.
• Elimination of transfusional transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Other Subregional Networks

• AMCHA (Amazon)
• INCOSUR (Southern Cone)
• IPA (Andean)

Useful References/Links

PAHO Chagas Page

Tropical Disease Research:
PAHO/TDR   |   WHO/TDR

Participating PAHO Offices, Central America
Costa Rica |  El Salvador
Guatemala |  Honduras
Nicaragua |  Panama

Participating Ministries of Health
Costa Rica |  El Salvador
Guatemala |  Honduras
Nicaragua |  Panama

Partners

• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA
• Canada
  • Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA-Canada)
  • Pro-Mesas/IRDC (International Development Research Centre / IRDC, Canada)
• CARE
• Doctors without Borders (Médicos sin fronteras/MSF-Spain)
• European Community (EC)
  • European Community - Latin American Network for Research on the Biology and Control of Triatominae (ECLAT)
  • Chagas Disease Intervention Activities, European Community (CDIA-EC)
• Inter-American Development Bank IDB (funds CARE program in Honduras)
• World Vision

The Intergovernmental Commission of the Initiative of Central American Countries to Interrupt Vectoral and Transfusional Transmission of Chagas Disease (IPCA) was created in 1997 in the city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. One year later, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution establishing a mandate to eliminate Chagas transmission, which was subsequently adopted by PAHO. In collaboration with the PAHO Member States in the Central American subregion, PAHO's main partner is the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which provides funding and technical expertise to the initiative. Since its creation, IPCA has held 1 pre-IPCA, 7 annual and 3 thematic meetings (note: all reports below are in Spanish except for the reports and/or resolutions of the World Health Assembly/WHA):

• Pre-IPCA meeting, Tegucigalpa, 1997
• WHA51.14: Elimination of Transmission of Chagas Disease (Resolution of the 51^st World Health Assembly, 1998
• 1^st Annual Meeting, Guatemala City, 1998
• 2^nd Annual Meeting, Managua, 1999
• 3^rd Annual Meeting, San Salvador, 2000
• 4^th Annual Meeting, Panama City, 2001
• 5^th Annual Meeting, San José, 2002
• Thematic Meeting on Rhodnius pallescens, Panama City, 2002
• Thematic Meeting on Triatoma dimidiata,
  San Salvador, 2002
• Thematic Meeting on
  R. prolixus, Guatemala City, 2003
• 6^th Annual Meeting, Tegucigalpa, 10/2003
• 7^th Annual Meeting, Tegucigalpa, 2004
• 8^th Annual Meeting, Tegucigalpa, 12/2005
• 9^th Annual Meeting, Guatemala City, 9/2006

As a part of IPCA, PAHO has sent out five official evaluation missions to monitor and evaluate the progress made:

• Guatemala, 2/2002
• El Salvador, 8/2002
• Honduras, 5/2003
• Panama, 4/2004
• Guatemala, 5/2005

PAHO-JICA Project

• Phase II, JICA project, El Salvador
• 2008 Project Update
• 2006 Regional Project Update & Brochure (in Spanish)
• 2005 Preliminary Description

Documentation from the Countries

El Salvador

Technical Guidelines

Guatemala

Progress Reports, Chagas Disease Vector Control Project

- 2000–2002

- January–May 2001

Honduras

- Model for Inter-Agency Cooperation, 2006

- Report on Activities and Results of the National Chagas Program (PNCh), 2004

- National Strategic Plan on Chagas (PEN-Chagas), 2003–2007

- Project for Chagas Disease Control: 2003 Annual Report

Recommended Reading

• "Battling the
  'Silent Disease' ", Focus on Latin America, JICA Magazine
• Feature in JICA Magazine on the Central American Chagas project
• Case study of Honduras project in LENPA Spring Forum 2005 on Capacity Development under Program-Based Approaches

Activities in the Countries
El Salvador |  Guatemala |  Honduras

Maps

• Area Covered by JICA Projects in Central America
• Distribution of Rhodnius prolixus & Triatoma dimidiata (Central America)
• Geographical Distribution of Triatomines (LAC)
• Geoepidemiological Spaces

IEC Materials
(Information/ Education/ Communication)

In English

• Fact Sheet and Poster

In Spanish

• El Salvador
  • Paint the chinches! school project
  • Community education poster: Our community is chinche- and Chagas-free: United against chinches!
  • Comic book for children: Pedrito y la enfermedad de Chagas
• Guatemala
  • Poster: Chinche Alert
  • Trainers' Manual: General knowledge, prevention and surveillance with community participation
• Honduras
• Brochure: "No chinches, no Chagas"
• Card: On the lookout for chinches

Photo Gallery

• El Salvador: Paint the chinches! school project
• Guatemalan Project:
  Missions: 2005 | 2002
  Community Action:
  Team in action  |
  Blood testing | IVM |
  Field photos
• PAHO-JICA Project, Field Photos:
  El Salvador | Honduras
• Victims and At-Risk Housing
• Central American Vectors:
  - Triatoma dimidiata
  - Rhodnius prolixus
  - Rhodnius pallescens
  - Life Cycle
• Southern Cone Vector:
  T. infestans
• Parasite:
  Trypanosoma cruzi

* IPCA is the official acronym from the Spanish name, Iniciativa de los Países de Centro América para la Interrupción de la Transmisión Vectorial y Transfusional de la Enfermedad de Chagas.