Education, Communication, and Lots of Creativity: A Good Combination to Face Complex Problems Like Chagas

CARRILLO C; SANMARTINO M; MORDEGLIA C

Social Innovation Journal

Social Innovation Journal Eds.

Lugar: Philadelphia; Año: 2018 vol. 45 p. 1 - 12

The Chagas disease is frequently referred to as the effects that the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) has on people?s health. However, from our perspective, Chagas is much more than that: it is a complex socioenvironmental health problem in which elements of different nature converge and interact. The biomedical and epidemiological aspects, which are most frequently addressed, are only a piece of the puzzle that needs to be complete in order to understand Chagas in all its complexity. Social, environmental, economic, political, cultural, and educational elements turn out to be essential in comprehending the magnitude of the problem without prejudice or stigmatizations. Therefore, we believe that any attempt at addressing this issue requires different perspectives that consider it from its diverse angles. This is why more than seven years ago we created a multidisciplinary group ? comprised of people from different areas and various careers -- to promote an integrated and innovative approach of Chagas in different contexts (schools, museums, fairs, plazas, universities, social organizations, etc.). In this way, with collaborative work and in articulation with different social actors, our objective is to create and encourage various ways of looking and understanding Chagas from multiple disciplines, scenarios, and languages. In our work, art, science, and other ?subuniverses? come into play and are integrated into trying to address Chagas beyond traditional approaches.