25 May 2020

Coronavirus: Spike in rheumatic fever infections

From Morning Report, 7:16 am on 25 May 2020

There's been a dramatic spike in the number of Wellington children in hospital with the dangerous disease rheumatic fever.

A public health alert has been issued, with Covid-19 testing centres ordered to swab any children at risk.

Case numbers are up across the whole country, with the lockdown possibly a factor.

RNZ's health correspondent Rowan Quinn reports.