Guidelines on rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease and strep A sore throat

Access clinical guidelines, tools and information about rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease and strep A sore throat.

The Aotearoa New Zealand Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease have been updated. These guidelines provide current best practice clinical guidance for health professionals. 

The 2024 update is the third edition of the guidelines, following previous versions released in 2006 and 2014, with a sore throat management update in 2019. The 2024 update consolidates all previous guidance into a single, comprehensive resource and includes a summary guide for clinicians. 

Guidelines

The 2024 guideline update is hosted on the Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora website. Previous editions and supporting information were published by the Heart Foundation and are hosted on this page. 

Reference your community HealthPathways in your region for clinical management guidance of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. 

2024 guidelines

• Aotearoa New Zealand Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease: 2024 Update (full guidelines and Summary Guidelines for Clinicians) 

Previous editions and supporting information

• Rheumatic Fever Roadmap, 2023 - 2028 
• Group A Streptococcal (GAS) Sore Throat Management Guideline: 2019 Update  
• Diagnosis, Management and Secondary Prevention of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease: 2014 Update (second edition) 
• Proposed Rheumatic Fever Primary Prevention Programme 2009  

Related rheumatic fever resources

See other rheumatic fever resources for health professionals on the Heart Foundation website.

Rheumatic fever resources 

Hear from people living with RHD