$2.5 Million to Stop Strep Throat From Becoming a Killer
RHDAustralia, a new Australian Government-funded body, will help combat a potentially fatal heart disease that affects young Indigenous Australians.
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Joint Release
Prime Minister
Minister for Health
Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery
22 Januray 2010Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon and Minister for Indigenous Health Warren Snowdon today announced the establishment of RHDAustralia, an Australian Government-funded body to help combat a potentially fatal heart disease that affects young Indigenous Australians.
Rheumatic Heart Disease begins with strep throat, a common bacterial infection of the throat, but if left untreated can develop into Acute Rheumatic Fever and go on to damage the valves of the heart, and ultimately be fatal.
Delivering on an election promise under the New Directions: An equal start in life for Indigenous children policy, $2,593,800 will be provided over four years for RHDAustralia as part of the Rudd Government’s Rheumatic Fever Strategy.
Mr Rudd said Rheumatic Heart Disease is almost unheard of in the non-Indigenous community, but is a major killer of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and requires a national response and co-ordinating body like RHDAustralia.
“The development of a comprehensive strategy, and the creation of practical, simple measures to combat Rheumatic Heart Disease and Acute Rheumatic Fever, is vital in closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous life expectancy,” Mr Rudd said.
Mr Snowdon said: “Rheumatic Heart Disease is a particular problem in remote Indigenous communities, where infection rates remain high. The initial infection, Acute Rheumatic Fever, is caused by a bacterium and occurs mainly in children aged 5 14. Repeat attacks of Acute Rheumatic Fever leave the heart valves so damaged that they can no longer function. Affected patients will die unless he or she receives life saving heart surgery.”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are up to eight times more likely than non Indigenous Australians to be hospitalised for Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease and 20 times more likely to die from it. On average, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people die from Rheumatic Heart Disease in their mid 30s, compared to non Indigenous people with the same disease who can expect to live into their 60s.
Mr Snowdon added: “RHDAustralia will use cost effective measures to help prevent the disease. It will establish a national database to support a register and control program, which will initially start in the NT, WA and Queensland. It will provide training of health staff to improve diagnosis, and help patients access regular antibiotics to prevent recurrence.
“RHDAustralia is also putting strategies in place to make the public more aware of the disease and hopes to help establish best practice guidelines,” Mr Snowdon said.
RHDAustralia has been established under the Menzies School of Health Research to tackle rheumatic heart disease and acute rheumatic fever, in partnership with James Cook University, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.
The Director of the Menzies School of Health Research, Professor Jonathan Carapetis, said these measures will help address what is an entirely preventable disease.
“It can be treated with monthly shots of penicillin, but these need to be administered regularly for at least 10 years. We need to ensure that in Australia we have systems that will improve diagnosis and put in place appropriate follow-through treatment.”
He said RHDAustralia is part of an international push for better management of Rheumatic Heart Disease.
“Tens of millions of people around the world suffer from RHD, and similar programs are already running successfully in a number of other countries, but we are one of the first to take a truly national approach such as this.” he said
RHDAustralia’s National Manager, Brenda Green, agreed that doctors and health staff often miss the signs of Acute Rheumatic Fever, and said many of the diagnosed sufferers fail to follow through with treatment.
“RHDAustralia will help to overcome these problems,” she said.
“Once we’ve established our national database, we can feed that information back to the jurisdictions, to help them identify problem areas. We can also feed that information to governments to ensure we are putting resources where they are needed.”
In total, the Government will contribute $11.2m over five years toward the rheumatic fever component of the New Directions policy.
Ms Roxon said: “In addition to the funds we have provided for RHDAustralia, we also provide support for research into Rheumatic Heart Disease through grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
“The Menzies School of Health Research has received five rheumatic fever research grants from the NHMRC since 2000, of which three totalling $313,736 were awarded in 2009.”
PM’s Press Office (02) 6277 7744
Minister Roxon’s Office 02 6277 7220
Minister Snowdon’s Office –04000 45 999
Menzies School of Health Research 0447 275 415
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