What Other Ways Can I Look After My Child's Health After Rheumatic Fever?

Get bicillin injections on time

Make sure your child gets their bicillin injections on time. If you are going to be away for the next due date of your child's bicillin injection, please let the nurse know. They will make sure your child is covered when they are away. If you are moving, don't forget to let your nurse know so they can make arrangements for your child.

Regular exercise

Encourage and support your child to keep active and exercise. Their healthcare professional will give advice about this.

Eat good foods

Because rheumatic fever can affect the heart, it's important to protect it. Encourage your child to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. 

If your child has rheumatic heart disease, some foods may interfere with their medicine, particularly warfarin. Please check with your child's heart specialist (cardiologist). 

See the warfarin guide for rheumatic heart disease to learn more about warfarin.

Quit smoking and vaping

Encourage everyone in your whānau to quit smoking and vaping, especially around your child. 

The importance of warm, dry, healthy housing

Many illnesses, including acute rheumatic fever and respiratory tract infections, are linked to cold and damp homes that are poorly ventilated.

The Healthy Housing initiative is a free service that can discuss your housing situation and give support if needed. They can help you create a warm, safe and dry home, which can help keep your whānau well. See the KidsHealth page on keeping your house warm and dry for more information

For more information on the Healthy Homes initiative, you could also talk to your child's nurse when your child has their bicillin injection.

Other parts of the journey

The rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease journey introduction

Taking care of my child's health after a diagnosis of rheumatic fever

What is rheumatic fever?

A young person's rheumatic fever or rheumatic heart disease journey in pictures

What is rheumatic heart disease?

How will my child's rheumatic fever be managed?

What other ways can I look after my child's health after rheumatic fever? (You are here)

When can my child return to doing the things they enjoy after rheumatic fever?

Will my child need regular medical check-ups after rheumatic fever?

Looking after my child's mouth and gums after rheumatic fever

Will rheumatic fever affect my child's ability to have children in the future?