Reports and Findings

The reduction in ARF recurrence indicates that the RHD control program has improved secondary prophylaxis; a decline in RHD incidence is expected to follow.

In the 21st century, rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are neglected diseases of marginalized communities.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) M protein is an important virulence factor and potential vaccine antigen, and constitutes the basis for strain typing (emm-typing).

Vaccine prevention of GAS infections and their immunological complications has been a goal of researchers for decades.

Immediate plating of impetigo swabs is the gold standard for bacterial recovery but is rarely feasible in remote regions.

The median number of presentations per child in the first year of life was 21 with multiple reasons for presentation.

The desire for an effective vaccine arises from the large burden of disease caused by the bacterium, particularly rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.

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

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an important cause of heart disease in Indigenous people of northern and central Australia.

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