dr. rachel marcus, cardiologist and medical director of the latin american society of chagas. doctor, daisy explained a bit but can you give us a very brief layman s understanding of what the disease is? sure. chagas skis is the long-term consequences of a parasitic infection of the heart. it was traditionally thought of as being a disease of rural poverty in central and south america. the parasite causes an acute infection generally in a child. and then for anywhere between 15 and 30 years patients will live with the parasite in them and then suffer long-term damage to the heart and to the esophagus and the gastrointestinal system. how is the medical community responding to the idea that the one treatment, the main treatment for it, could increase so exponentially in cost? well, you ve asked a great question. one of the problems in the united states dealing with chagas disease is that the