At The Kids, Aboriginal health is everyone’s business

Since our inception, researchers at The Kids have been working to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities. From improving mental health, to preventing painful ear infections and lung diseases like bronchiectasis, our research teams have forged strong relationships with communities to ensure our research considers their needs every step of the way.

We’re developing a vaccine against Strep A which causes skin infections, sepsis and if left untreated, can scar the heart and lead to rheumatic heart disease. For First Nations children, the risk is significantly higher - they are 55 times more likely to die from RHD than their non-Indigenous peers. To change this story, The Kids introduced rapid point-of-care testing that delivers results in just five minutes instead of five days and developed new ways to deliver penicillin that are less painful and more effective.

In this video, you’ll hear how researchers and communities are working together to close the gap in First Nations health.