Hyperendemic rheumatic heart disease in a remote Australian town identified by echocardiographic screening

Ending rheumatic heart disease in Australia: the evidence for a new approach

“…62 Echocardiography screening for RHD may be considered in communities with high rates of ARF and RHD, or in the context of ARF outbreak investigation or follow-up. 26,204 When echocardiography screening is undertaken, community support and input are essential, and systems and resources should be available for providing education, secondary prophylaxis and follow-up. Ideally, screening would form part of a comprehensive health response to RHD in select communities, which would require the collaborative development of criteria and thresholds for screening.…”

A New Year, the top research articles, and a call to deliver a “net zero” Australian health care system by 2040

“…It is therefore a privilege to announce the top articles published by the MJA in 2020 as chosen by the editors. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] The MJA published leading research and perspectives on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including the first SARS-CoV-2 isolated in Australia, uploaded to GenBank for immediate sharing with the global scientific community. 13 On 19 January 2020, a man from Wuhan was admitted in a hospital due to progressive respiratory symptoms 5 days after arrival in Melbourne.…”

“…According to Northern Territory RHD register data, only 10% of Indigenous people in Maningrida and the surrounding communities received secondary prophylaxis. 17 In addition to primary prevention, active case finding using echocardiographic screening should be considered in remote Australian communities with a high burden of RHD.…”

“…It is therefore a privilege to announce the top articles published by the MJA in 2020 as chosen by the editors 13‐23 . The MJA published leading research and perspectives on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), including the first SARS‐CoV‐2 isolated in Australia, uploaded to GenBank for immediate sharing with the global scientific community 13 .…”

“…Based on a prospective, cross‐sectional echocardiographic screening study, the prevalence of RHD among young Indigenous people in Maningrida aged 5–20 years was 5.4 definite cases per 100 people, 17 the highest reported for any population. According to Northern Territory RHD register data, only 10% of Indigenous people in Maningrida and the surrounding communities received secondary prophylaxis 17 . In addition to primary prevention, active case finding using echocardiographic screening should be considered in remote Australian communities with a high burden of RHD.…”