43 primary school students diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease in Suva

43 primary school students have been diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease in the Suva area in term two of this school year.

This has been confirmed by the Health Ministry under their Rheumatic Heart Disease Prevention and Control Program.

In May this year, after two years of a high level advocacy campaign led by the governments of New Zealand and Fiji, the Resolution on Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease was officially passed by the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

Minister for Health Rosy Akbar joined a group of 22 young people living with Rheumatic Heart Disease to have interactive discussions with regards to the significance of the Rheumatic Heart Disease Resolution to those living with the disease.

To recognise this achievement, the Rheumatic Heart Disease  Prevention and Control Program organised at the Ministry’s headquarters in Suva which also coincided with the World Heart Month awareness.

The Ministry states that the Program has had success in recent years in improving the treatment delivery rates to patients by more than 100 percent across the country.

They says the program has remarkably achieved early Rheumatic Heart Disease detection, screening and treatment in schools. 

The Ministry for Health says that as a result of the school nurses training, primary school students have been diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease.

The Health Ministry continues to emphasise that if Rheumatic Heart Disease is picked up early enough and timely treatment is provided, then patients have a good chance of living a normal and productive life.      

Akbar says the passing of the RHD Resolution recognises Fiji’s continued commitment towards the prevention of Rheumatic Heart Disease and the way forward is to strengthen the collaborative support among all the stakeholders.

Buli Wainiqolo, who was diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease in 2011 has been working very closely with the Health Ministry as an advocate.

She spoke at a side event at the World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva and praised the Fijian government’s ongoing commitment for addressing the Rheumatic Heart Disease in Fiji.

Wainiqolo says that Fiji has one of the most established RHD programmes in the world.

She believes that the RHD Resolution will only encourage other governments to prioritise this disease especially in countries where it is common.

Wainiqolo says Rheumatic Heart Disease is 100 percent preventable and for the many individuals in Fiji, who have this disease it can be managed.

As part of a nationwide campaign, the RHD Prevention and Control Program is encouraging parents and carers to ‘think rheumatic heart fever’ and seek medical advice when needed. 

Rheumatic Heart Disease is a serious heart condition that occurs following an attack of Acute Rheumatic Fever which can occur after a strong immune response to a throat infection caused by a strep throat infection.

If appropriate antibiotic treatment is not administered, inflammation of the heart can cause scarring of the heart valves resulting in significant morbidity and possible death.

In Fiji it is common for children to present to clinical services late – already with symptomatic Rheumatic Heart Disease – which means they are often too late for adequate treatment.