August 28, 2023
Sore throat warning as rheumatic fever returns
Rheumatic fever levels in South Auckland and other high Māori population areas such as Northland and the Bay of Plenty are up to pre-Covid levels.
In the first six months of this year there were 92 cases on the ESR database of notifiable diseases, compared with 40 for the corresponding period last year.
Te Aka Whai Ora chief medical officer Rawiri McKree Jansen says whānau need to be on the alert.
“Sore throats matter. Get them checked. For lots of people that will mean if it’s a group A strep sore throat then get antibiotics for 10 days but the really important thing is try to protect our young people from rheumatic fever by getting sore throats checked,” he says.
Whooping cough pertussis is also at worrying levels in South Auckland.