Rheumatic Fever In New Zealand Case Study

Socio-economic factors such as income, housing, and education are strongly associated with the incidence of rheumatic fever in New Zealand. Firstly, deprivation and socio-economic inequality worsen the rheumatic fever issue in New Zealand. Lower income people face more difficulties in accessing health care, and tend to avoid signs to save costs when experiencing illness. The individuals with lower income are less likely to get medication, and this is why our service provides free medication and free vaccines. The majority of the rheumatic fever cases occur in lower-income areas, with the highest rates in Northern half of North Island, followed by South Auckland, Bay of Plenty, and Tairawhiti (Webb & Wilson, 2011). The “Mobile health clinics”

Secondly, poor housing condition such as damp or overcrowding plays a key role in the rheumatic fever incidences. Children and young people living in the most deprived areas with poor housing conditions have a 150 times greater risk than other children or young people of being admitted to hospital for rheumatic fever (Jaine, Baker, & Venugopal, 2008). Although not directed solely at reducing rheumatic fever burden, addressing unhealthy lifestyle, housing condition, and household overcrowding issues, may result in reduced rates of many preventable infectious diseases including rheumatic fever. Thirdly, education plays a major part in prevention and control of rheumatic fever. A high rate of Maori and Pacific youths are not in education and much of the adult population is uneducated. We are aware of this issue while designing our solution in promoting rheumatic fever

In 2011, over 22,000 students in South Auckland schools were participating in a randomised school-based primary prevention study. Those selected schools were randomised to receive either nurse-delivered antibiotics or standard primary care. The result they received was outstanding that the rheumatic fever incidence reduced by 21% in the treatment schools, and the number of reduction could be even more significant if chosen a longer time period and improved study design (Webb & Wilson, 2011). Elsewhere in New Zealand, in addition to throat swabbing, a community – led primary prevention programme in a small Northland community that included education of school children and their families about sore throat and rheumatic fever, has been highly successful, with no more rheumatic fever cases since initiation of throat swabbing in schools from 2002 (Jaine et al., 2008). These evidences should led to more innovative programmes such as “mobile health clinics” focus on high-risk population and start from a number of small communities where there is high incidence of rheumatic