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August 07, 2024
Community plan sprought for rheumatic fever imbalance
Peter Verschaffelt
Posted On August 7, 2024
Download AudioAn Auckland University researcher wants to know why rheumatic fever levels in South Auckland Māori and Pacific Island communities remain at third world levels.
Siobhan Tu’akoi has been given a $487,000 Pacific health postdoctoral fellowship from the Health Research Council for the three year study.
Pasifika children in the area are 80 times more likely and tamariki Maori 36 times more likely to get the disease, which can cause long-lasting heart damage, including heart valve problems and heart failure if not detected early and treated.
Dr Tu’akoi says often when parents want to get care for a child with a sore throat they may have to wait weeks to see a doctor or they could be put off by the cost.
“One of the key issues is access to primary healthcare and we have really good medications and treatments to fight off the infections from strep throat but it is about accessing that healthcare in a timely manner that really influences some of these risk factors we are seeing among Maori and Pacific children,” she says.
Dr Tu’akoi intends to develop a series of community co-design interventions.
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