Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are preventable diseases disproportionately affecting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians living in regional and remote areas. Prevalence rates were highest in females and young people aged 5–14. These data highlight the important role of jurisdictional control programs and registers in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory.

This is the fourth annual report from the National Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) data collection. It presents information on acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and RHD in Australia drawn from the established jurisdictional registers in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, from 2016–2020. Throughout the report, some data from New South Wales are incorporated with figures from other jurisdictions and some remain separate, depending on comparability between jurisdictions.