Take Heart: Deadly Heart

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live with RHD at rates 60 times higher than non-Indigenous Australians. Australia needs a health system that works for all of us, not some of us.

Take Heart: Deadly Heart focuses on the solutions that can prevent RHD now and eliminate the disease in Australia by 2030.

RHD usually occurs in children aged 5 -- 15 and starts as a Strep A infection to the throat or skin. Risk factors include poverty, overcrowded living conditions and reduced access to medical care.

Currently, there are some less than satisfactory health services still operating in parts of Australia, which has meant many Aboriginal people have missed out on quality healthcare.

Take Heart: Deadly Heart was made by working closely with children, family, communities and health experts. Their stories will show you that by investing in community-led initiatives and prevention programs, RHD is a problem that can be solved.

This is a deadly heart story. It's a story about the Traditional Custodians of this land. It's about the Elders past, present and future. But it's really about all of us and the standards we set as a nation. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are already paving the way towards eliminating Rheumatic Heart Disease.