December 09, 2012
More schools in strep throat scheme
Another 42 schools have been added to a $24 million programme to prevent rheumatic fever, meaning more than 16,000 kids at 91 schools can now expect regular swabs to check for strep throat.
Helen Herbert, the National Rheumatic Fever Co-Ordinator, says the effort is going into communities in Northland, the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, South Auckland, East Cape, Hawkes Bay and Porirua where there are high numbers of Māori and Pacific Island tamariki.
That’s because Māori children are 20 times more likely to catch it than their Pakeha counterparts, and Pasifika children are 37 per cent more likely to catch it.
“For those places that don’t have the throat-swabbing projects in schools, it’s still really important for those communities to realise that a sore throat, particularly if you are Māori or Pacific, that your tamariki must see a doctor, go to a clinic, get a throat swab, because that’s the only way it is going to be identified if it is a strep,” Ms Henare says.
Untreated strep throat can lead to the more serious rheumatic fever, which can lead to heart damage.
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