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Rheumatic Heart Disease Endgame Strategy: what does it mean to community?Across Australia, more than 5,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are currently living with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) or its precursor, acute rheumatic fever (ARF).
This tool is designed to help current and future parents and caregivers as well as health care providers. It is currently based on the 2025 Western Australian RSV immunisation program.
News & Events
‘Mama’ deb’s dedication to saving children in Papua New GuineaChildren living in Papua New Guinea have good reason to call Clinical Associate Professor Deborah Lehmann ‘Mama Deb’.
Pneumococcal – a bacterial infection that can cause pneumonia and meningitis – is responsible for 1000s of hospital admissions in Australia each year, many of them children.
Research
FeBRILe3: Risk-Stratification and Diagnosis of Serious Bacterial Infections in Febrile Infants Less Than 3 Months OldEvidence-based recommendations exist for early discharge (before 48 h) of young infants with fever without source (FWS) at low risk of serious bacterial infections (SBIs). However, concerns regarding the applicability of international data to local contexts may hinder implementation. We aimed to describe the local epidemiology of FWS and evaluate a newly implemented risk-stratification guideline to support practice change.
Research
Short term safety profile of respiratory syncytial virus vaccine in adults aged ≥ 60 years in AustraliaAustralia's active vaccine safety surveillance system AusVaxSafety monitors a number of vaccines, including Arexvy, by reporting on solicited adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) through an online survey sent to vaccinees 3 days post-vaccination as previously described.3 Here we report on survey responses from adults aged ≥60 years receiving Arexvy at primary healthcare practices or pharmacies, who responded to the survey by day 7 post-vaccination.
Research
Estimating the true number of people with acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease from two data sources using capture-recapture methodologyIn Australia, accurate case ascertainment of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) diagnoses for disease surveillance and control purposes requires the use of multiple data sources, including RHD registers and hospitalisation records. Despite drawing on multiple data sources, the true burden of ARF/RHD is likely to be underestimated.
Research
In vitro antibacterial activity of Western Australian honeys, and manuka honey, against bacteria implicated in impetigoImpetigo is a contagious skin disease caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Without treatment, impetigo may be recurrent, develop into severe disease, or have serious, life-threatening sequelae. Standard treatment consists of topical or systemic antibiotic therapy (depending on severity), however, due to antibiotic resistance some therapies are increasingly ineffective.