A parent-turned-advocate is urging Fijian families to seek prompt medical care for children with sore throats, joint pain or persistent discomfort after her own child was diagnosed with Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD). Erini Kala, founder of Heart Heroes Fiji and a member of a local support group, says delays in treatment and reliance on traditional remedies are helping drive Fiji’s persistently high RHD burden.
Kala, who began speaking out after the shock of her child’s diagnosis, told families she found many parents unaware of how RHD develops. “I sat and observed, many parents did not understand what RHD is or how it develops. That’s when I made it my mission to learn and to raise awareness,” she said. With backing from Cure Kids Fiji, she helped establish Heart Heroes Fiji to carry out screening, education and community outreach.
Citing Ministry of Health figures, Kala noted roughly 5,000 people in Fiji are currently diagnosed with RHD, and about 70 percent of those are under the age of 30. She highlighted that the majority of cases occur among iTaukei communities, underscoring persistent health inequities and the need for targeted awareness and prevention work.
Kala warned that common cultural remedies may ease symptoms but do not eliminate the bacterial infections that can precipitate rheumatic fever and permanent heart damage. “When my child had a throat infection, I used lemon and ginger. For joint pain, we tie pandanus leaves. It’s what we are used to — but these remedies do not kill bacteria,” she said. Kala emphasised that only proper medical treatment — notably penicillin injections, referred to locally as “benza” — can prevent the disease from worsening and reduce the risk of recurrent episodes.
Heart Heroes Fiji’s outreach focuses on educating parents to recognise early warning signs such as sore throats, joint pain and prolonged discomfort, and to seek medical assessment rather than relying solely on home remedies. Kala’s group also arranges screening and community engagement to connect families with services, which advocates say is critical given the young age profile of those affected.
The call from Kala comes as the government continues to invest in the health sector with recent allocations intended to bolster hospital capacity and services. Advocates say prevention and timely primary care treatment for streptococcal infections must be reinforced alongside broader system improvements to reduce RHD’s heavy toll on children and young adults.
Kala said her own experience — moving from fear and uncertainty to advocacy — underpins her message: parents should not ignore symptoms or assume traditional treatments are sufficient. “Bacteria remain in the body. Only proper medical treatment, like penicillin injections, what we call benza, can prevent this disease from worsening,” she said, urging families to act quickly when children show warning signs.
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