The World Health Organization recommends a coordinated, public health approach where there are substantial populations with acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.

In Australia, rheumatic heart disease control programs are based in the Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and New South Wales. Independently, these programs have established priorities for action based on the local burden of disease and specific populations at risk. Commonly these programs:

• Are supported by local program advisory committees that include First Nations health service organisations, medical specialists, general practitioners, epidemiologists, nurses, public health practitioners, and relevant community representatives.
• Identify people with, or at risk of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.
• Maintain dedicated, state-wide patient register and recall systems to help coordinate care.
• Promote environmental health and primary antibiotic prevention, which focus on preventing rheumatic fever.
• Support delivery of secondary antibiotic prophylaxis to help prevent recurrent rheumatic fever, delivered within the framework of primary healthcare.
• Support clinical and public health practice by increasing disease awareness and clinical expertise among the health workforce.
• Provide information, education, and self-management support to people living with rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease and their families and communities.
• Use information from the registers to monitor patient health outcomes and provide epidemiological reporting.

For more information, see Chapter 13 in the Australian guideline for prevention, diagnosis and management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (3rd edition).