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Improved opportunities for the primary prevention of ARF now exist, because of point-of-care antigen tests for Streptococcus pyogenes, and clinical decision...
This trial aims to improve uptake of secondary prophylaxis among Aboriginal people with ARF/RHD to reduce progression or worsening of RHD.
After brief training, health workers with no prior experience in echocardiography can obtain adequate quality images and make a reliable assessment
The prevalence of echocardiographically diagnosed RHD in adults in New Caledonia is estimated at 5.9 per 1000
increased adherence to penicillin prophylaxis is associated with reduced acute rheumatic fever recurrence and a likely reduction in mortality
This strategy did not improve adherence to rheumatic heart disease secondary prophylaxis within the study time frame.
A multifaceted intervention was implemented using quality improvement and chronic care model approaches to improve delivery of penicillin prophylaxis for rheumatic heart disease
Jonathan Jeffrey Carapetis AM Cannon AM MBBS FRACP FAFPHM PhD FAHMS BSc(Hons) BBus PhD Executive Director; Co-Head, Strep A Translation; Co-Founder
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.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a large, preventable, global public health burden. In New Zealand (NZ), acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and RHD rates are highest for Māori and Pacific children. This structured review explores the evidence for primary prevention interventions to diagnose and effectively treat group A Streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis and skin infections to reduce rates of ARF and RHD.