A 10-year-old Auckland girl is on bed rest after contracting rheumatic fever while living in overcrowded conditions. Now, another child in the household is sick.
Days ago, Matelina Mareko was in hospital with her niece Julieann Toloa, who was sick with rheumatic fever.
The girl was diagnosed with the disease just over a fortnight ago. She'll be unable to attend school for the next five weeks and needs to be on bed rest until she has a heart scan.
She will also have to have injections to protect her heart for the next two decades.
Now Mareko's desperately worried for her son, Sean.
"He got high fever, sore throat and sore body. I was so worried he might get infected by the rheumatic fever," she said.
The cousins are among 15 family members – 10 of whom are children – living in a four-bedroom, one bathroom home in South Auckland.
The family took the five-year-old to the doctor on Saturday and insisted on a swab for strep throat, which can lead to the disease.
Despite telling the GP there had been a case of rheumatic fever in the household, the boy was only given Pamol and Ibuprofen.
When Sean’s condition worsened yesterday, his parents took him to Kidz First Middlemore Hospital.
While he is now on antibiotics, his family is still awaiting the results from his throat swab.
In December, his cousin Julieann was diagnosed with strep throat by the school nurse and given antibiotics.
But her symptoms worsened, and the family said despite visits to a local GP, her rheumatic heart disease was only discovered by the hospital two weeks ago.
Her mother, Estherline Toloa, said Julieann had not received the proper care over the last few months.
"No, no, because the doctors – this is the only medication they gave us when we went there, just the Pamol," she said.
The other children living under the same roof have skin conditions.
Family friend Tuala Tagaloa Tusani added: "There is no care coming through because they are poor, that’s it – it's because they're poor and they're voiceless."
Those most at risk from rheumatic fever live in overcrowded homes.
The Ministry of Social Development is working closely with the family. However, while they are here legally, some of the family members have not lived in the country for two years, making them ineligible for public housing.
"My concern is my kids. I want a better home for them – a healthy home," Mareko said.
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