Rozella Butt knows the benefit of regular treatment against ARF
The WA Rheumatic Heart Disease Program have developed a video to help clinical staff working in rural and remote parts of the State to recognise the symptoms of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an abnormal immune response to bacterial infection of the throat or skin and repeated episodes can cause long-term heart damage called rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
RHD Clinical Nurse Manager Janice Forrester said both conditions were rare in Australia and preventable but often were indicators of social disadvantage.
“People with RHD are at risk of heart failure, stroke and other medical complications at an early age. It causes premature death and in the Kimberley the average age of death from RHD is 41 years,” Janice said.
“The group most at risk and affected by ARF are Aboriginal children aged 5–14 years living in rural and remote WA.
“This condition requires a clinical diagnosis and given that it is a rare disease in Australia not all staff working in regional and remote WA are familiar with diagnosing this disease. That is why this orientation video is so important. It will help children like Rozella (pictured), who through the help of staff has changed her attitude towards receiving injections of long-acting penicillin every 28 days and now has a positive association with the injection. She refers to it as her ‘lovely needle’.”
The video also informs clinicians of their statutory reporting obligations in relation to ARF and RHD in WA and refers to online courses, which provide in-depth information about ARF and RHD management and other educational courses that attract continuing professional development points (CPD).
Since the WA RHD Register and Program commenced in 2009, more than 800 people have been identified with ARF or RHD.
“The majority of patients on the WA RHD Register obtain their treatment for ARF and RHD in health sites outside the Department of Health, with Aboriginal Medical Services and private GPs being the most common primary care provider,” she said.
The RHD video is available on the Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia Learning Management System (LMS) (external site).