Flesh-eating disease spreads

NSW has recorded its first case of the flesh-eating Bairnsdale ulcer, which can destroy skin, soft tissue and even bone.

While the infection was first identified in Australia in 1948, it has previously been confined to Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory. With mosquitoes considered a possible risk factor for the disease, infectious diseases experts have confirmed the disease was spreading.

Paul Johnson, deputy director of the Infectious Diseases Department of Austin Health in Melbourne, described the infection as “a slowly progressive thing” that was often painless.

“It starts off as a little pimple and the bacteria grow very slowly. They create a toxin that interferes with your immune system (so it) can’t fight it off,” he said.

The first NSW case is recorded in The Medical Journal of Australia, which also reports that surgery is now considered to be fully effective at stopping the disease in only one in four cases, with antibiotics needed alongside surgery in the other cases.