Everyone is at risk: Gruesome flesh-eating bacteria spreads across Australia

A gruesome flesh-eating bacteria, thought to be transmitted by an iconic Aussie animal, is spreading in one state, and health experts warn “everyone” is at risk.Victoria’s Health Department released a grim alert on Friday for Buruli Ulcer, which is a bacterial skin infection that damages soft tissue and can cause serious disfigurements.“Lesions typically present as a slowly enlarging painless lump or wound which can initially be mistaken for an insect bite,” Victoria’s chief health officer Professor Ben Cowie said on Friday.“Case numbers so far this year are higher compared to previous years.“The disease is spreading geographically across Victoria and is no longer restricted to specific coastal locations.”The department has now detected the disease in the Mornington Peninsula, Westernport, Bellarine Peninsula, East Gippsland, and Frankston and Langwarrin regions.It has also been detected in the southeastern bayside suburbs – including the Surf Coast shire towns of Breamlea, Torquay, Anglesea, and Aireys Inlet, parts of Greater Geelong, and the inner-Melbourne areas of Essendon, Moonee Ponds, Brunswick West, Pascoe Vale South, Ascot Vale, and Strathmore.Professor Cowie warned the disease could strike “everyone.”“Disease can occur at any age, but Buruli ulcer notifications are highest in people aged 60 years and above in Victoria,” he said.The department said the warmer months brought with them a higher risk of Buruli infections and it usually took between four to five months for an ulcer to develop following infection.It is suspected possums and mosquitoes play a role in transmitting the disease.“The disease is not transmissible from person to person, however, there is evidence that both mosquitoes and possums play a role in disease transmission in Victoria,” Professor Cowie.“The bacterium that causes the ulcer is also found in possum excrement and possums have been observed with ulcers and open sores.It is advised not to handle pos...