RHD Australia: a national approach to rheumatic heart disease prevention and management

Current topic
Published in the HealthBulletin
Posted on:
25 January, 2010
Issue
Vol 10 No 1, January 2010 - March 2010
Related topics
Cardiovascular health Current topics Health services Social issues

The Federal Government has announced that it will spend $2.5 million to help combat rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and acute rheumatic fever (ARF), through the establishment of RHDAustralia, a new centre dedicated to prevention and management of the disease.

RHDAustralia has been established under the Menzies School of Health Research, in partnership with James Cook University and Baker IDI. Dr Jonathan Carapetis, Director of the Menzies School of Health Research, has been appointed as Director of RHDAustralia.

RHD is a preventable disease, usually associated with poverty, which is caused by a bacterial infection. Although RHD is virtually unheard of in non-Indigenous Australians, it is one of the major killers of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Patients with ARF or RHD can be treated with monthly injections of penicillin, but they need to be administered regularly for at least 10 years.

The launch of RHDAustralia will lead to better diagnosis and treatment of ARF and RHD through the establishment of a national database, which will inform decisions on management, monitoring and distribution of resources.

  • Contact details:
    • Laetitia Lemke, Communications and Development Manager, Menzies School of Health Research, ph: (08) 8943 5018, mob: 0447 275 415, fax: (08) 8927 5187

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