Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Mission to keep healthy

By Shauni James
Rotorua Daily Post·
20 May, 2016 09:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

TESTING: Eight-year-old Ihaka Tawhai-Ratahi got his throat checked by Western Heights Health Centre nurse Moana Walker, along with Jahmayne Tawhai-Rathai, 6, (back left) and Haeora Tawhai-Ratahi, 9 (back right). PHOTO/BEN FRASER

TESTING: Eight-year-old Ihaka Tawhai-Ratahi got his throat checked by Western Heights Health Centre nurse Moana Walker, along with Jahmayne Tawhai-Rathai, 6, (back left) and Haeora Tawhai-Ratahi, 9 (back right). PHOTO/BEN FRASER

A local principal is pleased to see free throat swabbing being delivered at some of Rotorua's low decile schools but wants to see the initiative expanded to all schools, regardless of decile.

The Western Heights Health Centre offers a throat swabbing service at seven schools in an effort to identify and treat strep throat.

If left untreated, step throat can turn into rheumatic fever which can then lead to rheumatic heart disease, a life-threatening illness. The centre visits Western Heights Primary School, Selwyn School, Aorangi Primary School, Kaitao Middle School, Rotorua Intermediate, Sunset Primary School and Glenholme Primary School, all of which have deciles no higher than three.

While the centre also offers free after-school clinics, Rotorua Principals' Association president and Ngakuru School principal Grant Henderson would like to see throat swabbing for all schools.

He said people could not assume children attending low decile schools were the only ones living in environments which could lead to untreated strep throat turning into rheumatic fever.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Hopefully the DHB do look at a strategy for rheumatic fever that goes across all the schools. I think it would be great and help eliminate the disease."

Western Heights Health Centre nurse Mary McLean said parents needed to be vigilant with the weather getting colder, as that was when there was an increase in sore throats.

The free after-school clinics run from 3pm to 6pm Monday through to Thursday, and 3pm to 5pm on Fridays for those aged 4 to 19.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We try and treat strep throat so people don't get rheumatic fever."

Kaitao Middle School principal Rory O'Rourke said the service was important because it identified children who were at risk of developing rheumatic fever.

It was a great initiative and should continue every year, he said.

Lorraine Taylor, principal of decile 9 school Lynmore Primary, said throat swabbing clinics did not come to the school, but they sent out health information to parents.

Ms Taylor said it would be good if the service was offered at all schools, though it came down to funding.

Lakes District Health Board community paediatrician Dr Johan Morreau said the message was for parents to take their child to a doctor if they had a sore throat.

"Rheumatic fever is a serious but preventable illness."

He said fewer than six people in Rotorua got rheumatic fever each year, but the Lakes DHB had high rates compared with the rest of the country.

"It mainly affects Maori and Pacific children and young people aged 4 to 19, especially if they have had other family members who have had rheumatic fever."

He said occasionally people outside this age group develop the disease.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The problem is that if these children and young people have had rheumatic fever damage to their heart valves, then the impact can be lifelong."

Dr Morreau said they had done a number of things to reduce the likelihood of both catching rheumatic fever and having repeated bouts.

These included a rheumatic fever co-ordinator, a registered nurse who educated families and children with rheumatic fever, along with co-ordinating the care of young patients at hospital, he said.

There was also a Rheumatic Fever Prevention Healthy Homes Service, which assisted with improving the household conditions of families living in Rotorua. "Cold and overcrowded houses put families at risk of diseases like rheumatic fever."

He said since the service began in March 2015, more than 65 households had been assessed and the resulting help provided had included support to access insulation, curtains, floor coverings, assistance with heating sources, support to access Work and Income entitlements, beds and bedding, support with private rental relocation, and fast-tracking for social housing. Referrals would be accepted for families living in the Western Heights and Rotorua city areas. Families must meet Ministry of Health criteria.

A Rapid Response Sore Throat service was also provided by the Western Heights Health Centre, visiting schools in the area. Dr Morreau said if a child was given antibiotics for a sore throat, it was important for them to be taken for the whole 10 days they were prescribed for.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Rotorua mother Wikitoria Tawhai said all three of her sons had been throat swabbed about a week-and-a-half ago, after two of them had traces of strep throat. She said one was swabbed at school by a nurse and the other two got their swabs at the Western Heights Health Centre clinic.

-For details of clinics visit https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/diseases-and-illnesses/sore-throat/sore-throat-clinics/sore-throat-clinics-lakes-area.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Premium
Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor: Praise for Rotorua Hospital

13 Jul 04:30 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Pene bags season-best performance at mountain biking World Cup

13 Jul 04:37 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

'Palpable grief': Motorcyclist who killed two people had 11 previous driving convictions

12 Jul 11:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Premium
Letters to the editor: Praise for Rotorua Hospital

Letters to the editor: Praise for Rotorua Hospital

13 Jul 04:30 PM

Opinion: Our readers have their say.

Pene bags season-best performance at mountain biking World Cup

Pene bags season-best performance at mountain biking World Cup

13 Jul 04:37 AM
'Palpable grief': Motorcyclist who killed two people had 11 previous driving convictions

'Palpable grief': Motorcyclist who killed two people had 11 previous driving convictions

12 Jul 11:00 PM
Rotorua Barn house has shrine to Harry Potter under the stairs

Rotorua Barn house has shrine to Harry Potter under the stairs

12 Jul 07:10 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP