Take Heart - The Quest to rid Australasia of Rheumatic Heart Disease

Streaming video - 2016

Today, thousands of indigenous Australian children are at risk of contracting Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) from a common sore throat (Strep Throat) or from the transmission of Strep A bacterium through infectious skin sore (Scabies). If these vulnerable children are not quickly identified as being symptomatic (with fever or joint pain) and treated with penicillin, their body’s autoimmune response may start mistakenly attacking their heart valves in an attempt to rid the body of its fever.. Repeated exposure to ARF leads to life-threatening Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) which ends with expensive and traumatic open heart surgery as well as a dramatically increased risk of permanent disability, stroke, heart failure and premature death..