A TOTAL of 12,261 children in Fiji have been screened for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) under the Cure Kids Fiji RHD Prevention and Control Program.

Established by ACCOR Group, the Cure Kids Fiji Program has also helped identify about 600 children with the heart disease.

Novotel Nadi general manager Jack Work said Cure Kids now provided medical equipment for the Children’s Ward, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Lautoka Hospital, Nadi Children’s and Maternity wards.

“Cure Kids Fiji has supported projects such as the Rheumatic Heart Disease Prevention and Control Program to improve screening for and detection of RHD in school aged children,” he said.

“To date 12,261 children have received RHD screening, an additional 598 children were detected with RHD, since the introduction of nurse-led Echocardiogram testing.

“Nine Echocardiogram machines have since been purchased.”

He estimated that approximately one in 30 children aged five to 14 years in Fiji live with rheumatic heart disease.

“Severe RHD causes permanent heart valve damage with the need for heart operations which cause premature death.

“To date, 10 nurses have been trained in echocardiography and nearly 10,000 children have been screened across Fiji with hundreds previously undetected causes of RHD diagnosed and the children referred for treatment.”