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Healthy skin is important for maintaining overall physical and cultural health and wellbeing. However, remote-living Australian Aboriginal children contend with disproportionally high rates of Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infected impetigo.
The skin is the largest and most visible organ of the human body. As such, skin infections can have a significant impact on overall health, social wellbeing and self-image.
André Schultz MBChB, PhD, FRACP Head, BREATH Team Head, BREATH Team Prof André Schultz is the Head, BREATH Team at The Kids Research Institute
In partnership with local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, the Elder-led co-designed Koolungar Moorditj Healthy Skin project is guided by principles of reciprocity, capacity building, respect, and community involvement. Through this work, the team of Elders, community members, clinicians and research staff have gained insight into the skin health needs of urban-living Aboriginal koolungar (children); and having identified a lack of targeted and culturally appropriate health literacy and health promotion resources on moorditj (strong) skin, prioritised development of community-created healthy skin resources.
The evidence derived from the review will be used to inform the development of guidelines for the management of skin infections in resource-limited settings
Treatment success for scabies co-infection was lower than for impetigo overall, with a higher success seen in the co-trimoxazole group than benzylpenicillin
We report osteomyelitis incidence in indigenous children of northern Australia is amongst the highest reported in the world
Immediate plating of impetigo swabs is the gold standard for bacterial recovery but is rarely feasible in remote regions.
Asha Tom Bowen Snelling BA MBBS DCH FRACP PhD GAICD FAHMS OAM BMBS DTMH GDipClinEpid PhD FRACP Head, Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Head, Infectious
Indigenous Australian children suffer the highest rates of impetigo (skin sores) in the world, which can result in serious immune complications including chronic kidney and possibly rheumatic heart disease.