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Six researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded $8.9 million in prestigious Investigator Grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Last night, almost 60 supporters gathered at Adelaide Town Hall for the inaugural The Kids Research Institute Australia Adelaide Lecture, Not Just a Sore Throat: The Race to Stop One of the Deadliest Bugs on the Planet.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains the leading cause of cardiac-related deaths and disability in children and young adults worldwide. In The Gambia, the RHD burden is thought to be high although no data are available and no control programme is yet implemented. We conducted a pilot study to generate baseline data on the clinical and valvular characteristics of RHD patients at first presentation, adherence to penicillin prophylaxis and the evolution of lesions over time.
In preparation for the future arrival of a group A Streptococcus (GAS) vaccine, this study estimated the economic and health burdens of GAS diseases in New Zealand. The annual incidence of GAS diseases was based on extrapolation of the average number of primary healthcare episodes managed each year in general practices (2014-2016) and on the average number of hospitalizations occurring each year (2005-2014). Disease incidence was multiplied by the average cost of diagnosing and managing an episode of disease at each level of care to estimate the annual economic burden.
Jonathan Jeffrey Carapetis AM Cannon AM MBBS FRACP FAFPHM PhD FAHMS BSc(Hons) BBus PhD Co-Head, Strep A Translation; Co-Founder of REACH Health
The absence of a diagnostic test for acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a major impediment in managing this serious childhood condition. ARF is an autoimmune condition triggered by infection with group A Streptococcus.
Asha Jonathan Bowen Carapetis AM BA MBBS DCH FRACP PhD GAICD FAHMS OAM AM MBBS FRACP FAFPHM PhD FAHMS Head, Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention Co-Head,
Benzathine penicillin G (BPG) is used as first-line treatment for most forms of syphilis and as secondary prophylaxis against rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Perceptions that poor quality of BPG is linked to reported adverse effects and therapeutic failure may impact syphilis and RHD control programs. Clinical networks and web-based advertising were used to obtain vials of BPG from a wide range of countries.
Rheumatic heart disease in pregnancy persists in First Nations people in Australia and New Zealand and is associated with major cardiac and perinatal morbidity
These results indicate that anaphylaxis is not a major cause of adverse reactions to benzathine penicillin G