Rheumatic fever starts with a sore throat and kills, on average, 130 New Zealanders every year. A rheumatic fever diagnosis is life-changing on its own, but rheumatic heart disease is devastating, Baker says. He went straight to hospital where he stayed for months and was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease, something his mum Natasha Harland says stopped her world. “If you solved the housing situation in these areas where rheumatic fever thrives you would solve the rheumatic fever problem. While each person may experience symptoms differently, the following are the most common symptoms of rheumatic fever:

Source: Stuff August 22, 2020 17:00 UTC