{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,10]],"date-time":"2026-06-10T08:01:58Z","timestamp":1781078518920,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"5","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J Epidemiol Community Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1992,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to determine the prevalence of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease and to initiate a programme of secondary prophylaxis in Sahafa Town, Sudan. DESIGN--The study was a prospective case finding survey, carried out by a specially trained team headed by a cardiologist. SETTING--The study involved high risk school children (5-15 years of age) from Sahafa Town in the period 1986-1989. SUBJECTS--A total of 13,332 children on the school registers (7892 boys and 5430 girls) were examined generally and specifically for evidence of rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease. MAIN RESULTS--Out of the 13,322 children screened 351 were suspected cases and 146 were confirmed cases of rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease. The prevalence rates for all ages were 10\/1000 for boys and 14\/1000 for girls. The overall prevalence rate of the whole programme area was 11\/1000, prevalence of rheumatic fever was 8\/1000, and prevalence of rheumatic heart disease was 3\/1000. The prevalence rate was significantly increased among the inner town inhabitants (15\/1000) compared to the outer town inhabitants 4\/1000 (p &lt; 0.001). Monthly prophylactic benzathine penicillin in a dose of 1,200,000 IU was given to both suspected and confirmed cases. Penicillin coverage rate was 72%. CONCLUSIONS--Rheumatic fever continues to be a serious health problem. With economic pressures causing impending change in socioeconomic conditions in most Third World countries in the immediate future, rheumatic fever will continue to have a high prevalence rate and rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease prevention programmes will remain a central goal.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/jech.46.5.477","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,11,12]],"date-time":"2008-11-12T15:10:54Z","timestamp":1226502654000},"page":"477-479","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":21,"title":["An epidemiological survey of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in Sahafa Town, Sudan."],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"46","author":[{"given":"S","family":"Ibrahim-Khalil","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M","family":"Elhag","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"E","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"F","family":"Mahgoub","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S","family":"Hakiem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"N","family":"Omer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S","family":"Shafie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"E","family":"Mahgoub","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[1992,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"833","DOI":"10.1136\/hrt.33.6.833","article-title":"Incidence of acute rheumatic fever","volume":"33","author":"Sivers, J.; Hall, P.","year":"1971","unstructured":"Sivers J, Hall P. 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