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Screening for rheumatic heart disease: current approaches and controversies

In endemic areas, RHD has long been a target of screening programmes that, historically, have relied on cardiac auscultation.

Acute Rheumatic Fever and Chronic Rheumatic Disease

This chapter describes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic criteria, and management principles of acute rheumatic fever.

Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in 21 regions, 1990-2010: A systematic analysis

Measuring disease and injury burden in populations requires a composite metric that captures both premature mortality and the prevalence and severity of...

Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990-2010: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

Non-fatal health outcomes from diseases and injuries are a crucial consideration in the promotion and monitoring of individual and population health.

Coalition to Advance Vaccines Against Group A Streptococcus (CANVAS): A Trans-Tasman Initiative Against Rheumatic Fever

CANVAS is a commitment by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand to advance the development of a vaccine against GAS infection, which can cause rheumatic fever.

Developing a human challenge model of GAS infection

NHMRC funding has been awarded for 4 years to Murdoch Childrens Research Institute for this project, with collaboration from Professor Jonathan Carapetis at The Kids.

END RHD Community Project - Kimberley (Rheumatic Fever Strategy)

Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services, Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services and The Kids Research Institute Australia seek to implement and evaluate a community-led project, funded by the Department of Health, to prevent and manage RHD in a selected high-risk Aboriginal community

END RHD Demonstration Communities

The END RHD Communities approach uses community-led, research-backed prevention strategies to tackle Strep A skin and throat infections, acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease

Improving delivery of secondary prophylaxis for rheumatic heart disease

Continued progress in controlling RHD requires an understanding of how to improve delivery of regular injections of penicillin - secondary prophylaxis (SP).

Study protocol for controlled human infection for penicillin G against Streptococcus pyogenes: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised trial to determine the minimum concentration required to prevent experimental pharyngitis (the CHIPS trial)

Regular intramuscular benzathine penicillin G injections have been the cornerstone of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) secondary prophylaxis since the 1950s. As the pharmacological correlate of protection remains unknown, it is difficult to recommend changes to this established regimen. Determining the minimum effective penicillin exposure required to prevent Streptococcus pyogenes infection will accelerate development of new long-acting penicillins for RHD prevention as well as inform opportunities to improve existing regimens. The CHIPS trial will address this knowledge gap by directly testing protection afforded by different steady state plasma concentrations of penicillin in an established model of experimental human S. pyogenes pharyngitis.