In Australia, a flesh-eating bacteria, which is believed to be spread by possums and mosquitoes, is spreading rapidly across the state of Victoria and health experts have warned that “everyone” is at risk.
The health department in Victoria has issued an alert for Buruli ulcer, a bacterial skin infection that can damage soft tissue and cause serious disfigurements, the New York Post reports.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Ben Cowie said, “The lesions usually present as a slowly growing painless lump or lesion, which may initially be mistaken for an insect bite.” He said that the total cases this year are more than last year.
Cowie warned that Buruli ulcer is spreading throughout Victoria and “is no longer confined to specific coastal locations.”
It has been found in areas such as the Mornington Peninsula, East Gippsland, Westernport, the Bellarine Peninsula and Frankston and Langwarrin. In addition, cases have also been reported in the south-eastern Bay suburbs, including the towns of Brimley, Torquay, Anglesey and Eridge Inlet, as well as parts of Greater Geelong and the inner-Melbourne areas of Essendon, Moonee Ponds and Brunswick West. Are. Other.
Cautioning people that the disease can happen to “everyone”, Cowie said Buruli ulcer can occur at any age and “reports are highest in people aged 60 and over in Victoria”.
According to the Victoria Department of Health, the risk of Buruli infection is higher during the summer months, while ulcers usually take four-five months to develop after infection.
At present, officials suspect that possums and mosquitoes play a significant role in spreading the disease.
“This disease is not transmitted from person to person, however, there is evidence that both mosquitoes and possums play a role in the transmission of the disease in Victoria,” Cowie said.
As per The Guardian report, 344 cases have been notified this year till December 17, compared to 2023 (362 cases), 2022 (338 cases), 2021 (286 cases) and 2020 (217 cases).
The bacteria that causes ulcers has been found in possum feces, Cowie said, and “possums have been observed with ulcers and open wounds.”