Rheumatic heart disease and rheumatic fever programmes in the WHO African Region: review of reviews
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a significant cause of heart failure globally, with over 40.5 million people affected worldwide in 2019. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 23% of RHD cases worldwide, with an estimated prevalence rate of 10.31 cases per 1000 people. Addressing the diverse challenges to RHD prevention and management in Africa calls for the establishment and monitoring of RHD programmes in each country. In keeping with the 2018 World Health Assembly resolution on rheumatic fever (RF) and RHD, this review sought to comprehensively map RHD control programmes across WHO Member States in the WHO African Region.