DURING this year’s rheumatic fever week (1 to 6 August) the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA), in partnership with the Paediatric Cardiac Society of South Africa, calls for decisive action to prioritise the eradication of this totally preventable form of heart disease.

The HSFSA also wishes to remind the public to be vigilant and recognise symptoms that can prevent this disease. ‘Awareness is paramount to ending rheumatic heart disease in our lifetime, we cannot afford for our communities to be oblivious to preventable rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease’ warns Dr Vash Mungal-Singh, CEO of the HSFSA.

Rheumatic heart disease is the devastating after effect of an untreated, common throat infection.

A single penicillin injection is all that is needed to treat the infection and prevent rheumatic fever which causes irreversible damage to the heart. School-aged children are particularly vulnerable.

In Africa it affects 1.5 per cent of children. The World Heart Federation estimates that it is responsible for 275 000 deaths annually.

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