What should be done with a suspected case of rheumatic fever that does not meet the case definition?
We are interested in knowing about these suspected cases even if they do not meet the case definition. Please report them to the Bureau of Epidemiology. What can be done to prevent rheumatic fever? The proper diagnosis and treatment of GAS upper respiratory infections can prevent cases of rheumatic fever from occurring. When a child is diagnosed with rheumatic fever, the 1997 Red Book (Report of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, 24th edition) instructs clinicians to obtain throat cultures from all of their siblings and any other household contacts. Any household contact with a positive culture should be treated with an appropriate course of antibiotics, regardless of whether they are or have recently been symptomatic. The 1997 Red Book also reminds clinicians that “the throat culture remains the test of choice” for children who are suspected of having GAS pharyngitis (p. 486). Clinical diagnoses are rarely appropriate for a strep throat because it is
