Abstract
We noted with interest the recent report finding a relationship between establishment of a skin health program and a sustained reduction in impetigo for children living in remote communities in Western Australia. Although the results suggest it was the impact of heightened awareness which caused this reduction, rather than the intervention itself, this study is an important reminder of the multiple benefits from reducing skin infections. These benefits include the potential to protect against post-streptococcal diseases such as acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN).