Despite rates of rheumatic fever halving during the Covid lockdown years, the number of confirmed cases has dramatically increased to pre-2020 rates.
Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority) chief medical officer Dr Rawiri McKree-Jansen says the number of patients, especially children coming down with the illness is concerning, particularly as other nations with similar economies are continuing to report a reduction and in some cases, near elimination.
“Me aroha atu tātou mō ēnei āhuatanga kei runga i a tātou te iwi Māori i Aotearoa. Kei te tika, me whakapau kaha kia whakaweto tēnei momo mate.”
(I feel sorry for our Māori people who have this illness still to worry about here in Aotearoa. Yes, we must do more, and everything we can to eliminate this type of illness.)
Between April and June of this year, there were 34 confirmed or probable cases in the Auckland region. 26 were under 19 years of age, 17 of which were aged between five and 12. Worryingly, all the youth cases were Māori or Pasifika.
That is double the number of cases in 2022 and on par with pre-2019. Rheumatic fever is often caused by untreated cases of strep throat and can lead to heart disease requiring heart valve replacement surgery and can cause premature death in adults.
Overcrowded homes link
An Otago University study released last year found “the strongest” evidence yet that linked rheumatic fever to over-crowded homes.
Associate Professor Jason Gurney, who had a leading role in the rheumatic fever risk factors study, told NZME at the time it showed the need to address the inequities faced by Māori and Pasifika whānau.
“Rates of rheumatic fever are around 20 times higher for Māori and 44 times higher for Pacific peoples than for non-Māori and non-Pacific peoples,” he said.
“It is also crucial that we look further upstream at the social determinants of this disease and continue to address inequities in access to things like high-quality, healthy housing and primary care.”
McKree-Jansen says whānau, especially those with young tamariki need to take complaints of sore throats seriously.
“Kaua e kōrero he mamae korokoro noa iho. Ehara! Me whakamātauria. Nō reira, i na kōrero mai he tamaiti, tētahi rangatahi me haere ki tētahi ratonga hauora, whakamātauria.”
(Don’t just think it is simply a sore throat. No way. Get it checked out. So if a child or a young person says they have a sore throat go to your local health service provider and get tested.)
