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Liesl Zühlke, Susan Perkins, Sithembile Cembi, Rheumatic heart disease patient event: Cape Town hosts 4th Annual Listen to My Heart Rheumatic Heart Disease for patients at the South African Heart Association meeting in 2017, European Heart Journal, Volume 39, Issue 19, 14 May 2018, Pages 1669–1671, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehy199
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Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) affects millions of people globally,1 the majority living in low- and middle-income countries and in marginalized and impoverished communities. A priority pyramid, recently conceptualized by RHD Action, the global movement dedicated to reducing the burden of rheumatic heart disease in vulnerable populations of all ages throughout the world, places the patient community firmly at the pinnacle of the priorities that need to be addressed in the global fight against RHD2 (Figure 1). Rheumatic heart disease Action have published several tools to aid RHD programme around the world3,4 as well as position statements and intentions.5–7‘Nothing about me without me’ is a concept shared by many patient empowerment initiatives and in this case, underpins the philosophy of engagement with people living with and affected by Rheumatic Heart Disease (PLWRHD).
The RHD community of researchers and health care workers at University of Cape Town under the banner of the Stop RHD ASAP programme have created a tradition of patient events to include, recognize, and celebrate the RHD patient community. The ASAP programme has focused on the four pillars of Awareness, Surveillance, Advocacy, and Prevention in a grassroots approach to eradicate Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease in Africa.8,9
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