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News & Events

Laqueisha was just five years old when she was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease and sent on a 5,000km return trip to Perth for major heart surgery.

News & Events

Deborah Lehmann Research Award Opportunity

The Deborah Lehmann Research Award in Paediatric Infectious Disease Research is a funding mechanism to support the training and development of early- to mid-career researchers (EMCR) or Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students who are nationals from the Pacific Region working in or outside their hom

News & Events

Carol's story: losing a parent to RHD

After being diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease at ten, Elizabeth had to leave country and her family for a large chunk of her childhood so she could be treated in Adelaide.

News & Events

Margie's story: Parent to a child with ARF

When Liana complained of a sore foot and showed signs of a fever, her mum Margie rushed her to hospital. An X-ray of her foot revealed no obvious injury, so she was sent home and advised to take painkillers.

Research

Acute rheumatic fever

Acute rheumatic fever is an autoimmune disorder resulting from Group A Streptococcus pharyngitis or impetigo in children and adolescents, which may evolve to rheumatic heart disease (RHD) with persistent cardiac valve damage. RHD causes substantial mortality and morbidity globally, predominantly among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, with an interplay of social determinants of health and genetic factors determining overall risk.

Research

The need for community-controlled tools to monitor health impacts of housing and living conditions in Australia

We explore the contemporary landscape of housing investments and initiatives seeking to improve health outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, as well as the dearth of quality evidence and agreed approaches to evaluation.

Research

Acceptability and Implementation Challenges of Benzathine Penicillin G Secondary Prophylaxis for Rheumatic Heart Disease in Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study

Monthly intramuscular injections of benzathine penicillin G (BPG) remain the cornerstone of secondary prophylaxis for acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The barriers to successful delivery of BPG may be patient- or service-delivery-dependent.

Research

Estimating the true number of people with acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease from two data sources using capture-recapture methodology

In Australia, accurate case ascertainment of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) diagnoses for disease surveillance and control purposes requires the use of multiple data sources, including RHD registers and hospitalisation records. Despite drawing on multiple data sources, the true burden of ARF/RHD is likely to be underestimated.

Research

High dose, subcutaneous injections of benzathine penicillin G (SCIP) to prevent rheumatic fever: A single arm, phase IIa trial of safety and pharmacokinetics

This Phase-IIa trial evaluates the safety and pharmacokinetics of high-dose, 10 weekly subcutaneous injections of penicillin (SCIP) in young people with a history of acute rheumatic fever (ARF).

Research

Scoping review of variation in clinical guidelines for delivery of injectable long-acting penicillin across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand

This scoping review explores existing clinical guidelines on administration of benzathine benzylpenicillin (Bicillin L-A, Pfizer Australia) in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. The objective is to understand existing delivery guidance to address variation in care and cultural safety considerations, to support messaging during periods of stockout and to inform planning for new administration techniques.