Five cases of rare disease reported in Top End

The Northern Territory Health Department says there have been five cases of melioidosis in the Territory this year.

The Northern Territory Health Department says there have been five cases of melioidosis in the Territory this year.A two-year-old girl is the latest victim of the disease and is in a critical condition in the Royal Darwin Hospital.However, the health department says it is unusual for children to catch the potentially fatal disease.The disease is spread through bacteria in soil and can enter the body through cuts in the skin and symptoms include headache, fever and often a non-healing sore.A spokeswoman for the department, Vicki Krause, says recent rain could mean more cases.”Usually, increased rain does equal increased cases of melioidosis, so it might be in the next couple of weeks we will see an increased number of cases,” she said.(Source: ABC Health News, March 2004)