To the Editor: Pharyngitis, a common childhood illness, accounts for around 3% of presentations to general practice in Australia.1 Although usually benign and self‐limiting, group A streptococcus (GAS) pharyngitis, isolated in up to 20% of symptomatic children,2 can lead to infectious and autoimmune sequelae. Despite Australia being a high income country, acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) still cause significant morbidity and mortality in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.3
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- 2. Shulman ST, Bisno AL, Clegg HW, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and management of group A streptococcal pharyngitis: 2012 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis 2012; 55: 1279–1282.
- 3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework 2017: acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Supplementary online tables [Cat. No. WEB 194]. Canberra: AIHW, 2017. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/indigenous-health-welfare/health-performance-framework/contents/tier-1-health-status-and-outcomes/1-06-acute-rheumatic-fever-rheumatic-heart-disease (viewed May 2018).
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- 7. Noonan BN, Zurynski YA, Currie BJ, et al. A national prospective surveillance study of acute rheumatic fever in Australian children. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2013; 32: e26–e32.
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We acknowledge the contribution of Asha Bowen to this review and analysis. Rosemary Wyber is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship (1151165).
No relevant disclosures.