Rheumatic fever is a serious illness, which in New Zealand most
often affects school-aged children and young adults. This
section provides information about what the Ministry and the
health sector are doing to address rheumatic fever, and provides
links to information for health professionals. 14 Aug: Better
Public Services The Government has committed to delivering a set
of ten Better Public Services results. One of these is to
increase infant immunisation rates and reduce the incidence of
rheumatic fever. Find out what the Ministry is doing to achieve
this result. 25 May: Rheumatic fever programme expanded The
Ministry of Health’s Rheumatic Fever Prevention Programme is
funding new health services, including school-based sore throat
swabbing services, to help with the early detection of throat
infections that can lead to this serious disease. About
rheumatic fever The usual symptoms of rheumatic fever are: - a
warm, swollen painful joint (or joints) - stomach pain -
sometimes a skin rash or lumps under the