The Prevalence of Rheumatic Heart Disease in School Children in Fiji

This study is an epidemiological observational cross-sectional study designed to estimate the prevalence of echocardiographically confirmed RHD in school children from 5-14 years of age in Fiji. The study will be conducted in the Central Division of Fiji within a selection of up to16 primary schools located in the Korovou/Tailevu and Rewa/Nausori sub-divisions. School children will be enrolled after informed consent has been obtained. A standard cardiac examination (auscultation) will be performed as part of the routine annual health check by both school nurses, who have attended a training workshop, and by a paediatrician. All children with or without murmur will have a screening echocardiogram performed at a subsequent visit. Children found to have possible, probable or definite RHD or other cardiac pathology on the screening echocardiogram, will have a full echocardiogram performed by the echocardiography technician at the time of the second study visit. They will all also be referred to a paediatric cardiologist for further investigation and management and monitoring . Cases of RHD will be referred to and followed up by the National Fiji RHD register based at CWMH in Suva.