The World Heart Federation (WHF), together with its member the Heart Foundation of Australia, is proud to announce that Perth has been selected to host the second edition of the World Congress on Rheumatic Heart Disease on 12-14 November 2026.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) affects more than 40 million people worldwide and contributes to nearly 2% of all cardiovascular deaths. It remains the most common cause of acquired heart disease among people under 25 years of age. Although virtually eliminated in Europe and North America, RHD continues to disproportionally affect settings where poverty, overcrowding, and barriers to healthcare persist, including underserved areas within Australia and across the South Pacific. More than 11,000 Australians are currently on acute rheumatic fever (ARH) and RHD medical registries, and over 90% of ARF diagnoses occur among Indigenous children.
The second edition of the Congress will convene leading researchers, clinicians, policymakers, community advocates, and people living with RHD to accelerate practical, evidence-based solutions aimed at ending rheumatic heart disease once and for all. WHF President, Professor Jagat Narula, welcomed the selection of Perth, emphasizing the urgent need for global action on a disease rooted in social and economic inequity:
“Rheumatic heart disease is a preventable disease that claims the lives and futures of too many young people, especially in disadvantaged communities in the Global South, including in Australia and across the Pacific. Building on the success of the First World Congress on RHD that was held in Abu Dhabi in 2023, we are honored to be joining forces with the Heart Foundation of Australia, our co-hosts for the Second World Congress on RHD in Perth. The 40 million people living with the disease deserve global attention, which would help us accelerate proven measures to diagnose, treat and prevent RHD. We at the World Heart Federation continue to champion the global efforts to finally consign this disease to history.”
David Lloyd, CEO of the Heart Foundation of Australia and WHF Vice-President-elect, said the Congress represents vital momentum toward Australia’s goal of eliminating RHD by 2031:
“Rheumatic fever and heart disease are the result of disadvantage. We know how to eradicate it: we just need support to make it happen. Today’s announcement by the World Heart Federation, along with the support of government and philanthropy to bring this Congress to Australia, gives me immense hope that we will continue to make strides towards eradicating RHD.”
Today’s announcement by the World Heart Federation was celebrated by Western Australian Minister for Medical Research, Stephen Dawson, Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd, and eminent Perth-based RHD researcher Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM, in an event at The Kids Institute this morning.
WHF remains committed to addressing RHD as a matter of both health and social justice. Through global advocacy, including support for the 2018 Global Resolution on Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease, the launch of the 2023 WHF Echocardiographic Guidelines, and community education initiatives such as Colours to Save Hearts, WHF continues to champion early detection, prevention, and equitable access to care.
The 2026 World Congress on RHD is supported by the National Heart Foundation of Australia, the Government of Western Australia, the Leducq Foundation, Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, the American Heart Association, the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand, Business Events Perth, and Business Events Australia.
