A child’s untreated sore throat (‘strep throat’) can lead to rheumatic fever.
Rheumatic fever is a serious preventable disease which may cause permanent heart damage.
You can help your whanau by understanding what rheumatic fever is and taking sore throats seriously.
Rheumatic fever often starts with a sore throat (a streptococcal infection). A few weeks later the following symptoms may develop:
By taking sore throats seriously, we can help prevent life long illness and suffering for our tamariki.
Those most at risk of developing rheumatic fever are:
Last modified: