Medicine in tropical Australia

Abstract

In the unique environment of Australia's tropical north there are endemic diseases inherited from Gondwana, others introduced from the north and from Europe, and a wide range of particularly venomous animals. There is continuing disparity in morbidity and mortality between Aboriginal people and other Australians in tropical areas and elsewhere. This is being addressed by the National Aboriginal Health Strategy, which emphasises social, environmental and economic issues, as well as control and coordination of services by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. While the re-introduction of malaria remains a potential threat, together with other infections, current diseases in tropical Australia are being better elucidated; melioidosis is now recognised as the commonest cause of fatal [corrected] community-acquired pneumonia in the Top End of the Northern Territory, and a new focus of scrub typhus has been found. Sexually transmitted diseases are an urgent issue, especially for Aboriginal communities, given the potential impact of the human immunodeficiency virus.