Chagas Disease in Europe.

Chagas disease is currently present in many non-endemic countries and remains a neglected tropical disease globally. A review of the literature identified significant gaps and scarcity of updated information from European countries, with most studies reporting data from Spain and Italy. The index of underdiagnosis may be as high as 70%, affecting mainly females of child-bearing age. Standardized screening of fertile, non-pregnant, women from endemic countries and subsequent treatment is considered an essential strategy to control transmission and prevent new cases, yet no uniform legislation for screening risk groups exists. There is heterogeneity in Europe in terms of preventive strategies to avoid transfusion-related transmission of Chagas disease, not necessarily in line with the European directives, with some countries conducting systematic screening for