Policy
[Correspondence] The Perth Declaration to eliminate rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease
The Lancet · By Jagat Narula, Garry Jennings & Derek P Chew ·
The Brief
- The Lancet published a correspondence piece on the Perth Declaration, which aims to eliminate rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
- Approximately 55 million people live with rheumatic heart disease, and more than 370,000 die from it each year.
- The authors describe rheumatic heart disease as the most common acquired heart disease in people, and its persistence as a sign of social inequity.
Why it matters
The persistence of rheumatic heart disease shows how social inequity can determine who benefits from medical progress, which matters for anyone studying or designing health interventions.
Who’s affected
- global health researchers
- public health policymakers
- cardiologists and clinicians
- #rheumatic heart disease
- #rheumatic fever
- #global health
- #health equity
- #public health
The persistence of rheumatic heart disease reveals how profoundly social inequity can shape who benefits from medical progress. Approximately 55 million people live with the disease, and more than 370 000 die each year.1 It is the most common acquired heart disease in people…