May 21, 2023
Healthcare workers and medical professionals will have the opportunity to learn more about rheumatic heart disease at free clinical education sessions in Kingaroy and Murgon this week.
The two-hour workshop will be hosted by Darling Downs Health, the Menzies School of Health Research and Queensland Health.
It will include practical information and models of care related to group Strep A infections, acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
“A simple course of antibiotics can clear up a Strep A infection in the skin or throat, however, if it remains untreated, it can lead to acute rheumatic fever which causes an inflammatory response in the body,” Darling Downs Health spokesperson Dr Liam Flynn said.
“Over time, recurrent episodes can damage the valves located in the heart causing a permanent condition known as rheumatic heart disease.”
Dr Flynn said in Australia, rheumatic heart disease was mostly seen in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with about 3-5 per cent of Aboriginal people living in remote and rural areas living with the condition.
“Rheumatic heart disease is preventable. Preventing Strep A infections in the skin or throat or treating them with antibiotics when they do occur is key to the elimination of RHD,” Dr Flynn said.
“In addition, clinicians should be on the lookout for the signs and symptoms of acute rheumatic fever to enable proper management of the illness.”
The Kingaroy workshop will be held on Wednesday (May 24) and Murgon on Thursday (May 25).
