Epidemiological studies on rheumatic heart disease and streptococcal carriers among school-children in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. Preliminary communication.

The results of the first part of epidemiological follow-up studies on rheumatic heart disease and streptococcal carriers in Addis-Ababa are presented. In 1012 school-children relatively low morbidity of rheumatic heart disease (0.49%) and relatively small percentage of carriers of A-beta-hemolytic streptococci (4.24%) were found. There was no statistically significant difference in the morbidity of rheumatic heart disease as well as in the percentage of streptococcal carriers between the two basic social groups--children of well-to-do and of poor parents. No correlations with overcrowding were found. Serological types 5/12/27 and 3/13/B3164 of group A-beta-hemolytic streptococci were isolated most frequently.