Making Sense of Chagas Disease among Mexican Immigrants in California

ABSTRACT

Mexican immigrants are affected by Chagas disease (CD) in California. It is through the representation of Chagas as a rare disease that participants make sense of the disease. A positive diagnosis has meant the disruption of patients’ sense of normality and self-image, as well as their memories of homeland both reproducing and challenging hegemonic and stigmatized ideas of the disease associated with rurality and poverty. Access to treatment and medical care was the major coping mechanism. Health programs on CD should consider the emotional and social impact of the disease on people’s self-perceptions to develop better medical care and prevention.

RESUMEN

Entre la población afectada por la enfermedad de Chagas al sur de California, ésta se representa en términos de extrema rareza, a través de la cual se le otorga sentido. Un diagnóstico positivo a Trypanosoma cruzi perturbó la normalidad y autoimagen de los pacientes y re-significó su memoria sobre sus lugares de origen, mientras al mismo tiempo desafiaron el estigma de ruralidad y pobreza. Un servicio médico de alta calidad y acceso al tratamiento fueron los principales mecanismos de adaptación entre las personas afectadas. El impacto emocional y social de la enfermedad debe ser considerado en los programas de salud para la atención integral de Chagas.

KEYWORDS:

• United States
• Mexican immigrants
• Chagas disease
• social representations
• qualitative study

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• enfermedad de Chagas
• representaciones sociales
• migrantes Mexicanos
• Estados Unidos
• antropología
• estudio cualitativo

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the Yucatecan community in LA and surroundings, Mexican patients participating in this study, and to the director Dr. Sheba Meymandi and health staff from the CECD, especially to Nurse Giselle Muñoz. I deeply appreciate the insights of Dr. Leo Chavez at the early stages of this study, and the revision of previous versions of thise article by Dr. Marina Gold, Professor Lenore Manderson and Dr. Rebecca Marsland. The research protocol was approved by the University of California, Irvine, Institutional Review Board (HS# 2016-3162) and by the Olive View-UCLA Education and Research Institute (1182510-3).

Notes

1. https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/235962/ManualDX_TxEnfermedadCHAGAS2015.pdf.

Additional information

Funding

This work was carried out thanks to the postdoctoral scholarships granted by Comexus-Fulbright Visiting Scholar and UC Mexus-Conacyt, both in the period of 2016–17, and a second postdoctoral stay granted by UC Mexus-Conacyt from 2017–2018. A [UC-Mexus Small Grant] was granted for the period May 1-October 31, 2018 $1,500 dollars.

Notes on contributors

Alba R. Valdez Tah

Alba R. Valdez Tah is a postdoctoral fellow at the National University of Mexico (UNAM). She is the author of articles addressing sociocultural dimensions of Chagas disease both in Mexico and the USA.