Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is rare in most developed countries, but rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are among the highest in the world based on available data. Rheumatic heart disease (RHD), which can be prevented by adequate treatment of ARF, also occurs at very high rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander...

Healthy for Life (HfL) Program was established with a set of key objectives to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It focuses on mothers, babies and children; early detection and management of chronic disease; and long-term health outcomes. About 100 primary health-care sites across Australia were funded by the Australian Government...

Caring for Carers (C4C) was initiated by the Brotherhood of St Laurence in 2009 as a pilot program to assist people caring for someone with dementia in the community. It provided carers with training and follow-up support, delivered by project workers experienced in community dementia care. Over three phases it developed into a personalised program...

This paper looks at how Australian governments have responded to anti-microbial resistance (AMR) since the problem became evident in the 1980s. Of particular importance in Australia’s response was the 1999 establishment of the Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance (JETACAR), which was set up to provide independent expert scientific advice on the threat...

This report presents national information on cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) associated with care provided by public hospitals for 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012. This report builds on robust national and jurisdictional arrangements to monitor and reduce SAB. What is SAB? SAB is a serious bloodstream infection that may be associated with...