Comparing two acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis outbreaks in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area, Queensland

In late 2023, an outbreak report of acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) in the Torres Strait documented seven confirmed cases and one probable case. This prompted an island-wide mass drug administration of oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole to children aged 12 months to 17 years of age, possibly the first of its kind in response to an APSGN outbreak. In early 2024, an APSGN outbreak was declared with one confirmed and two probable cases, in the nearby Northern Peninsula Area of Cape York. The public health response to this outbreak included screening all children between 12 months and < 17 years of age for skin sores and sore throats, with treatment provided as deemed clinically appropriate. Both outbreaks reported nil further cases in the four months following each response. The relative merits of the different approaches will be discussed.