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Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) occur at very high rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) or Streptococcus pyogenes is responsible for an estimated 500,000 deaths worldwide each year.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) after group A streptococcus (GAS) infections is heritable and prevalent in Indigenous populations. Molecular mimicry between human and GAS proteins triggers proinflammatory cardiac valve-reactive T cells.
The rates of RHD in Timor-Leste are among the highest in the world, and prevalence is higher among girls than boys
The age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rates in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are considerably higher than the global average
Primary care practitioners have an important role in improving Aboriginal cardiovascular care outcomes
Total global disability-adjusted life-years remained largely unchanged from 1990 to 2015
Globally, life expectancy from birth increased from 61·7 years in 1980 to 71·8 years in 2015
The prognosis of young Indigenous Australians diagnosed with severe RHD is bleak; interventions must focus on earlier detection and treatment
Develop a 'roadmap' of key actions that need to be taken by governments to eliminate ARF and eradicate RHD in Africa