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Efforts to eliminate rheumatic heart disease (RHD) have been significantly strengthened, with a $1 million grant awarded through the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund (FHRI) Spotlight Program.

Last night, almost 60 supporters gathered at Adelaide Town Hall for the inaugural The Kids Research Institute Australia Adelaide Lecture, Not Just a Sore Throat: The Race to Stop One of the Deadliest Bugs on the Planet.

Six researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded $8.9 million in prestigious Investigator Grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded more than $11 million to support vital child health projects, under the Federal Government’s Medical Research Future Fund.

Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receiving long-term, painful injections to prevent deadly complications from rheumatic heart disease (RHD) will design their own optimum treatment program thanks to latest research at The Kids Research Institute Australia.

Researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia are joining forces with international experts in acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) to transform the diagnosis of these diseases thanks to an $US8 million grant from the Leducq Foundation.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains the leading cause of cardiac-related deaths and disability in children and young adults worldwide. In The Gambia, the RHD burden is thought to be high although no data are available and no control programme is yet implemented. We conducted a pilot study to generate baseline data on the clinical and valvular characteristics of RHD patients at first presentation, adherence to penicillin prophylaxis and the evolution of lesions over time.

The absence of a diagnostic test for acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a major impediment in managing this serious childhood condition. ARF is an autoimmune condition triggered by infection with group A Streptococcus.

Valvular heart disease is a major contributor to loss of physical function, quality of life and longevity. The epidemiology of VHD varies substantially around the world, with a predominance of functional and degenerative disease in high-income countries, and a predominance of rheumatic heart disease in low-income and middle-income countries. Reflecting this distribution, rheumatic heart disease remains by far the most common manifestation of VHD worldwide and affects approximately 41 million people.

Jonathan Jeffrey Carapetis AM Cannon AM MBBS FRACP FAFPHM PhD FAHMS BSc(Hons) BBus PhD Co-Head, Strep A Translation; Co-Founder of REACH Health