Australia’s global search for a Strep A vaccine

Strep A is a highly contagious bacteria responsible for more than half a million deaths every year and is developing resistance to antibiotics. In Australia, diseases caused by Strep A, such as rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The good news is an Australian led global initiative supported by the Medical Research Future Fund - the Australian Strep A Vaccine Initiative (ASAVI) - is aiming to free the world of this deadly infection by developing a vaccine. We chat with the co-directors of the initiative - Professor Jonathan Carapetis of the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth and Professor Andrew Steer at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne.