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School children at six Flaxmere schools will continue to have their throats swabbed whenever they get a sore throat as part of an extra $12 million of government funding to combat rheumatic fever.

The Hawkes Bay 'Say Ahh' programme is the first of eight newly funded services around the country which detect and prevent rheumatic fever.

Health Minister Tony Ryall and Associate Minister for Health Tariana Turia says that Budget 2011 sees the Government put an extra $130 million into disability support services over four years.

Mr Ryall says, "An extra $8.5 million a year extra is going into residential support services with some of that to help deal with increasing numbers of people being supported in these facilities.

"Home and community services, for activities like showering, getting dressed, preparing a meal, and house work, is to receive another $6.6 million a year.