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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia have an inequitable burden of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD), concentrated among young people and necessitating ongoing medical care during adolescence. There is an unmet need for improved well-being and support for these young people to complement current biomedical management.

Intramuscular benzathine penicillin G (BPG) injections are a cornerstone of secondary prophylaxis to prevent acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Uncertainties regarding inter-ethnic and preparation variability, and target exposure profiles of BPG injection are key knowledge gaps for RHD control.

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an abnormal immune reaction following Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infection of the throat, and likely the skin. Primary prevention is the prompt and appropriate antibiotic treatment of Strep A infection, and it can reduce the risk of developing ARF and subsequent rheumatic heart disease.

The rates of RHD in Timor-Leste are among the highest in the world, and prevalence is higher among girls than boys

This study sought to determine relationships, by gender, between childhood behaviour problems and adolescent risky sexual behaviours and substance use.

This study was designed to determine the sensitivity and reproducibility of recovering anti-streptolysin O titres (ASOT) from dried blood spot (DBS) samples

Indigenous Australians are much more likely to die from Rheumatic Heart Disease than other Australians.

This review outlines a clinical development strategy detailing the phases of development required for registration of a candidate Group A streptococci vaccin

Echocardiographic screening for rheumatic heart disease is cost-effective in our context

The prognosis of young Indigenous Australians diagnosed with severe RHD is bleak; interventions must focus on earlier detection and treatment