*Maximum 15.

A1, as complete a population-based ascertainment of incidence of acute rheumatic fever as possible sought; use of numerous different sources for detecting cases; A2, active case finding; B1, documentation of version of Duckett–Jones criteria applied; B2, use of a cardiologist in establishing diagnosis; B3, clear statement of inclusion/exclusion criteria; B4, clear documentation of methods used to confirm cases (case verification); C1, clear definition of study population (ie, age, sex and geographical location all documented); C2, clearly defined recent, reliable population information specific to the target population; C3, clear documentation of actual age range, sex and geographical location of cases; D1, incident cases considered in results include those from only within the area delineated by the population data provided; D2, confidence intervals or standard errors of incidence measures documented; D3, separation of male and female incidences; D4, age-specific documentation of incidence; D5, clear specification of time period (year) for which the documented incidence measure applies; D6, adjustment of final incidence measure for overestimation in studies using active detection.