The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) has commemorated Rheumatic Fever Week, from Saturday, 3 August to Friday, 9 August, which aims to raise awareness about the harm Rheumatic Fever (RF) can cause to young children and individuals.
The Rheumatic Fever Week is a week-long campaign that brings attention to RF as a serious autoimmune disease, that affects various body parts of a child, that includes the joints, heart, skin, nervous system and brain.
This occurs when a childs immune system overreacts to an untreated strep throat.
RF affects up to 40 million people who live in low-income countries, as well as globally, and claims more than 300 000 lives each year.
According to The Lancet Global Health of May 2021 , Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) in the world, causing about 18 000 deaths annually.
