Chagas disease (CD) is endemic in the Americas, being present in 21 countries, where it affects about 6 million people.(1) With such relevant numbers of people affected and disability adjusted life years lost, CD is a poverty-related and poverty-promoting disease. Although data describe a relevant ongoing public health problem for the American continent, significant results in the interruption of transmission has been achieved by coordinated multi-country programs. In particular, the Southern Cone Initiative (SCI), officially formalised in November 1991 by the Ministers of Health of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, has shown how a well-designed control program can significantly reduce CD transmission.(2) Before this initiative, in these countries, there were 11 million infected persons and 50 million at risk, 62% of the infected individuals of the whole continent.