Rheumatic heart disease can be prevented by effective management of streptococcal sore throat, however treatment at this early stage is often not achieved. Families may not have the time or money to access a healthcare facility, or may not seek care due to low awareness of the potential risk of untreated ‘strep throat’. Healthcare workers may also not have the necessary knowledge to appropriately diagnose and manage a ‘strep throat’. If left untreated, rheumatic fever may then ensue.
Currently a large proportion of those suffering rheumatic heart disease are not diagnosed, or are diagnosed at a late stage when damage to the heart is very severe. Rheumatic heart disease remains the leading cause of maternal cardiac complications in pregnancy. In many rheumatic heart disease-endemic countries there is little or no access to life-saving heart valve surgery. Measures to halt the progression to severe rheumatic heart disease require long-term treatments and a well-functioning health system to deliver this service.
