Cardiovascular Journal of Africa: Vol 27 No 3 (May/June 2016)

62 / 102

CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 27, No 3, May/June 2016 184 AFRICA
Seven key actions to eradicate rheumatic heart disease
in Africa: the Addis Ababa communiqué
David Watkins, Liesl Zuhlke, Mark Engel, Rezeen Daniels, Veronica Francis,Gasnat Shaboodien,
Mabvuto Kango, Azza Abul-Fadl, Abiodun Adeoye, Sulafa Ali, Mohammed Al-Kebsi, Fidelia Bode-
Thomas, Gene Bukhman, Albertino Damasceno, Dejuma Yadeta Goshu, Alaa Elghamrawy, Bernard
Gitura, Abraham Haileamlak, Abraha Hailu, Christopher Hugo-Hamman, Steve Justus, Ganesan
Karthikeyan, Neil Kennedy, Peter Lwabi, Yoseph Mamo, Pindile Mntla, Chris Sutton, Ana Olga
Mocumbi, Charles Mondo, Agnes Mtaja, John Musuku, Joseph Mucumbitsi, Louis Murango, George
Nel, Stephen Ogendo, Elijah Ogola, Dike Ojji, Taiwo Olabisi Olunuga, Mekia Mohammed Redi,
Kamanzi Emmanuel Rusingiza, Mahmoud Sani, Sahar Sheta, Steven Shongwe, Joris van Dam,
Habib Gamra, Jonathan Carapetis, Diana Lennon, Bongani M Mayosi
Abstract
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease
(RHD) remain major causes of heart failure, stroke and death
among African women and children, despite being preventable
and imminently treatable. From 21 to 22 February 2015, the
Social Cluster of the Africa Union Commission (AUC) hosted
a consultation with RHD experts convened by the Pan-African
Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
to develop a ‘roadmap’ of key actions that need to be taken by
governments to eliminate ARF and eradicate RHD in Africa.
Seven priority areas for action were adopted: (1) create
prospective disease registers at sentinel sites in affected coun-
tries to measure disease burden and track progress towards
Department of Medicine, Groote
Schuur Hospital and University
of Cape Town, South Africa
David Watkins, MD, MPH
Liesl Zuhlke, MB ChB, PhD
Mark Engel, PhD
Rezeen Daniels
Veronica Francis, BA
Gasnat Shaboodien, PhD
Bongani M Mayosi, MB ChB,
DPhil,
University of Washington, USA
David Watkins, MD
African Union Commission,
Ethiopia
Mabvuto Kango, MBBS
Association Friends of
Children with RHD, Egypt
Azza Abul-Fadl, MD
University College Hospital,
Ibadan, Nigeria
Abiodun Adeoye, MBBS
University of Khartoum and
Sudan Heart Centre, Sudan
Sulafa Ali, MD
University of Sana’a, Yemen
Mohammed Al-Kebsi, MD, PhD
University of Jos, Nigeria
Fidelia Bode-Thomas, MBBS
Harvard Medical School/
Partners in Health, USA
Gene Bukhman, MD, PhD
Mozambican Heart Association
(AMOCOR), Mozambique
Albertino Damasceno, MD, PhD
Addis Ababa University,
Ethiopia
Dejuma Yadeta Goshu, MD
Ministry of Health, Rheumatic
Heart Disease Programme,
NCDs, Egypt
Alaa Elghamrawy, MD
Kenyatta National Hospital,
Kenya
Bernard Gitura, MB ChB, MMed
(Int Med)
Jimma University, Ethiopia
Abraham Haileamlak, MD
Mekelle University, Ethiopia
Abraha Hailu, MB ChB
Ministry of Health and Social
Services, Namibia
Christopher Hugo-Hamman,
MB ChB
Touch Foundation, Tanzania
Steve Justus, MD
All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, India
Ganesan Karthikeyan, DM
College of Medicine, University
of Malawi, Malawi
Neil Kennedy, MB ChB
Uganda Heart Institute, Uganda
Peter Lwabi, MB ChB, MMed (Int
Med)
Technical Adviser, NCD
directorate, Federal Ministry of
Health of Ethiopia, Ethiopia
Yoseph Mamo, MD
Sefako Makgatho Health
Sciences University, South
Africa
Pindile Mntla, MB ChB
Chris Sutton, MB BCh
Instituto Nacional de Saúde,
Mozambique and PASCAR Vice
President South
Ana Olga Mocumbi, MD, PhD
Mulago Hospital, Uganda
Charles Mondo, MB ChB, PhD
University Teaching Hospital,
Zambia
Agnes Mtaja, MBBS
John Musuku, MBBS, MMed
(Paeds)
Rwanda Heart Foundation,
Rwanda
Joseph Mucumbitsi, MD
East African Community,
Burundi
Louis Murango, BSc
PASCAR Secretariat, South
Africa
George Nel, MSc
Bongani M Mayosi, MB ChB,
DPhil
University of Nairobi, Kenya
Stephen Ogendo, MB ChB,
MMed (Surg)
Elijah Ogola, MB ChB, MMed
(Int Med)
University of Abuja Teaching
Hospital, Nigeria
Dike Ojji, MBBS, PhD
Federal Medical Centre,
Abeokuta, Nigeria
Taiwo Olabisi Olunuga, MB ChB
Common Market for Eastern
and Southern Africa, Ethiopia
Mekia Mohammed Redi
University of Rwanda, Rwanda
Kamanzi Emmanuel Rusingiza,
MD
Bayero University Kano and
Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital,
Nigeria
Mahmoud Sani, MBBS
Cairo University Children
Hospital, Faculty of Medicine,
Egypt
Sahar Sheta, MD, MSc
WHO Regional Office in Africa,
Congo
Steven Shongwe, MB ChB, MBA
Novartis, USA
Joris van Dam, PhD
African Heart Network, Tunisia
Habib Gamra, MD
Telethon Kids Institute,
University of Western Australia,
Princess Margaret Hospital for
Children, Australia
Jonathan Carapetis, MBBS, PhD
University of Auckland, New
Zealand
Diana Lennon, MD