WHO Resolution on rheumatic heart disease

On Friday 25 May 2018, member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) unanimously adopted a Global Resolution on Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease1 at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. This historic decision marks the first time that rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) have been recognized as global health priorities on the world stage. The Resolution was co-sponsored by countries from all six WHO regions. The table below outlines the operative clauses in the Resolution. URGES Member States: To accelerate multisectoral efforts towards reducing poverty and improving socioeconomic standards by all means, tackling the known root determinants of RHD, including poor housing, overcrowding, and reduced access to care; To estimate the burden of RHD, and, in the case of countries where the disease is endemic, in accordance with their national context and priorities, implement and resource RHD programmes that foster multisectoral work focused on prevention, improved disease surveillance and good-quality data collection and analysis that facilitate appropriate follow-up and contribute to a broader understanding of the global disease burden; To improve access to primary health care, including through investing in a community and primary health care workforce trained in prevention, diagnosis, and evidence-based management of group A beta haemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis, acute RF and RHD with its potential complications, alongside improving understanding of prevention and control of RHD among at-risk populations; To ensure timely, affordable, and reliable access to cost-effective essential laboratory technologies and medicines for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of acute RF and RHD; and To strengthen national and international cooperation to address RHD, including through setting global and national measures for reducing the burden of disease, utilizing and sharing best practice methodologies for prevention and control, and creating national and regional networks for specialist diagnosis and treatment, when needed. INVITES relevant international stakeholders such as non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, private sector entities, and philanthropic foundations, as appropriate, to assist in driving forward global efforts for the prevention and control of rheumatic heart disease, and collaborate: To put people living with RHD at the centre of the prevention and control agenda, and continue to advocate on behalf of communities at risk of, or affected by, RHD; To raise the profile of RHD and other non-communicable diseases of children and adolescents on the global agenda, with a view to strengthening health systems in low- and middle-income countries, eradicating poverty, and addressing health inequities; and To facilitate timely, affordable, and reliable access to existing and cost-effective new medicines and technologies for prevention and control of RHD by supporting research and development, including gaining a greater understanding of the pathogenesis and epidemiology of acute RF and RHD, and by providing open-access resources. REQUESTS the Director-General: To reinvigorate engagement in, and lead and coordinate global efforts on, prevention and control of RHD, ensuring adequate resourcing, with RHD considered broadly across relevant WHO work areas, extending beyond the non-communicable disease programme; To support Member States in identifying RHD burden and, where appropriate, in developing and implementing RHD programmes and strengthening health systems in order to improve disease surveillance, increase the availability and training of the community and primary health care workforce, and ensure reliable access to affordable prevention, diagnostic and treatment tools; To foster international partnerships for mobilizing resources, sharing best practice methodologies, developing and supporting a strategic research and development agenda, and facilitating access to existing and new medicines and technologies; To assess and report on the magnitude and nature of the problem of RHD according to agreed measures, and monitor efforts for the prevention and control of RHD; and To report on implementation of this resolution to the 74th World Health Assembly. Conflict of interest: none declared.