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Control programmes for streptococcal disease among rural school children
The New Zealand Medical Journal
|July 23, 1980
Summary
Preventing rheumatic fever in New Zealand primary schools involved strategies like carrier treatment and nurse visits. An exercise program showed some benefit and was the least costly option for reducing streptococcal infections.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are significant health issues in New Zealand.
- Primary school children in high-risk areas were the focus for preventive strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reduce beta-haemolytic streptococcal throat carriage in primary school children.
- To decrease sickness-related absenteeism and the incidence of streptococcal disease.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of three strategies: asymptomatic carrier treatment, nurse home visits, and an exercise program.
- Three-monthly surveys for carrier identification and treatment.
- Home visits by nurses to identify infections and encourage medical referral.
Main Results:
- Each strategy demonstrated some benefit.
- The exercise program was the most cost-effective intervention.
- Carrier treatment and home visiting benefits were likely insufficient to justify their cost.
Conclusions:
- While all tested strategies offered some benefit, the exercise program was the most cost-effective.
- Routine carrier treatment and home visiting may not be sufficiently beneficial to warrant their implementation.
- Further research into cost-effective primary prevention of streptococcal infections in schools is warranted.