Two cases of the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection) have been found in Batemans Bay on the south coast of New South Wales. Some years ago there had been a case in Eden, the only other place in NSW where Buruli ulcer was likely to have been locally acquired.
Buruli has been rampant in areas of Africa but in Australia, the Mornington peninsula in Victoria has been the main location of Buruli ulcer cases and evidence points to native possums being the hosts of the bacteria with mosquitoes playing a role in its spread to people.
Image: Image: Shutterstock – Kateryna Kon
Produced By: Roderick Chambers
Featured In Story: Dr Ian Marr Infectious Disease Specialist ACT Health
First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 18 December 2024