Abundancia: Chagas Disease

Yesterday the Public Health Association made a surprise visit to Abundancia. They came to test the people for a disease called Chagas. You get this disease by being bit a Chagas bug or if a mother has while pregnant she can pass it on to her children. The disease stays dominant in your body for 20-30 years and then suddenly attacks your heart and intestines. Once it starts to attack you die within a couple of days. The Public Health Association found twelve people that tested positive in the village. It was heart wrenching, but at least now the people can be cured or helped. It was a very neat experience to be there with people while they were being tested and to be able to record our data and send it into an Epidemiology class at BYUI.

Here are some pictures. Sorry if they gross you out :(

Here is the Chagas bug

One stripe on the testing tray mean negative.

Public Health people! This woman was crazy!

Say no to Chagas!

Davita

Getting tested

All of us in the office :)

After the village was tested we then put on a Relief Society meeting for the women. They made felt hearts that they could hang in their homes. It was a really success. The women laughed, giggled and sewed the afternoon away!

Sewing away!

Davita with some of the sisters

Me with my group!

53 women with their hearts :)

How cute are they?

Today we for the kids activities we made Indian feather head bands! They were quite the hit. All of the kids were fascinated with all of the different color feathers. I don't think they realized that they were died fake feathers. Oh well!