The centennial of the discovery of Chagas disease: facing the current challenges

Even a hundred years after, Carlos Chagas' thoughts are undoubtedly valid right now: "...for Chagas, only science directed towards the betterment of humanity was valid (...) [...]he never forgot that social and economic factors are responsible--to a very great extent--for the situations he witnessed. Acknowledgments We thank the Scientific Committee of the International Symposium on the Centennial of the Discovery of Chagas Disease held in Rio de Janeiro in July 2009 for indicating the invited lecturers; all the lecturers for sharing their results and knowledge; Andreia Pires Dantas (PIDC) who was Scientific Secretary; Mrs. Lisabel Klein, Deolinda Santos, and Ana Beatriz Ayres who were the Executive Secretary of the Symposium; and Ms. Heloisa Maria Nogueira Diniz for preparing the figure.