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Table 4 Summary of RHD prevalence studies using echocardiography conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 27,000 children have been screened for RHD using echocardiography in this region. The variability in findings of RHD prevalence between countries is not fully understood

From: Prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in Zambian school children

Year reported

Country (location)

Population studied

Methodology

RHD prevalence

1996

Kenya (Eldoret) [49]

1150 school children in grades 1–8 in two schools

Colour-flow echocardiography and a portable generator using investigator-defined criteria

Definite 0.3%

2007

Mozambique (Maputo) [30]

2170 randomly selected children aged 6–17 years in six schools

Portable echocardiography at schools using investigator-defined criteria

3%

2012

Uganda (Kampala) [29]

4869 children aged 5–16 years in six randomly selected schools

Portable echocardiography at schools using 2006 WHO/NIH criteria

Possible 1%; probable 0.4%; definite 0.2%

2014

Eritrea (multiple cities) [50]

684 adolescents aged 13–24 randomly selected from nine schools

Portable echocardiography at schools using investigator-defined criteria

Suspected 3.3%; definite 4%

2015

Senegal (Dakar) [36]

2019 children aged 5–18 years in 16 schools

Portable echocardiography at schools using WHF criteria

Borderline 1.1%; definite 0.05%

2015

Ethiopia (Jimma) [8]

2000 children aged 4–24 years from randomly selected schools

Echocardiography at a university-affiliated field research center using WHF criteria

Borderline 1.4%; definite 1.7%

2015

South Africa (Cape Town) [8]

2720 children aged 4–24 years in randomly selected schools

Portable echocardiography in a mobile clinic using WHF criteria

Borderline 1.5%; definite 0.5%

2015

South Africa (Free State and Northern Cape) [51]

1015 children aged 14–22 years in grades 10–12

Portable echocardiography at schools using investigator-defined criteria

Definite 0.5%

2016

Malawi (Lilongwe) [7]

1450 children aged 5–16 years in three schools and surrounding communities

Portable echocardiography at schools and in surrounding communities using WHF criteria

Borderline 2.7%; definite 0.7%

2016

Uganda (Kampala) [52]

488 HIV-infected children aged 5–18 years from an outpatient clinic

Echocardiography at medical centers using WHF criteria

Borderline 0.4%; definite 0.4%

2016

Ethiopia (6 cities) [6]

3238 children aged 6–18 years in 28 randomly selected schools

Portable echocardiography at schools using WHF criteria

Borderline 0.5%; definite 1.4%

2017

Rwanda (Gasabo district) [53]

2501 children aged 6–16 years in 10 schools

Portable echocardiography at schools using WHF criteria

Borderline 0.5%; definite 0.2%