Interventions to eliminate rheumatic heart disease

Investigators: Jonathan Carapetis, Rebecca Trowman

Funded by a 5-year NHMRC Investigator grant to implement a strategy to eliminate rheumatic heart disease (RHD) as a public health problem in Australia.

This research aims to:

1. Reduce the incidence of Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infection in Australia via two complementary primary prevention approaches:
   1. Environmental health interventions; and
   2. Developing and evaluating a safe, effective and affordable vaccine against GAS
2. Improve accuracy in diagnosing acute rheumatic fever (ARF)
3. Reduce the incidence of recurrent ARF by developing a long acting penicillin implant.