Across most of Australia, rheumatic heart disease was all but eradicated midway through the twentieth century. And yet, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have some of the highest rates of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in the world. It's a disease of social disadvantage that affects old and young alike and is having a long-term impact on the health of our communities.

Join your Round Up host, Dr Elissa Hatherly as she chats to Dr Ben Reeves, a paediatric cardiologist in Cairns Hospital as he shares about the vital role of primary healthcare clinicians in Closing the Gap in patient outcomes. Dr Reeves explains the impact of this prevalent disease, what clinicians should be looking out for, and some of the techniques and new technology assisting with diagnosis and treatment.