Two die from melioidosis in Townsville

Two Townsville residents have died from the soil-borne disease melioidosis in recent weeks.

Two Townsville residents have died from the soil-borne disease melioidosis in recent weeks.The Tropical Public Health Unit’s Dr Jeffrey Hanna says there have been 10 cases across north Queensland during the current wet season.Melioidosis is found in northern Australia and most people pick it up through contact with wet soil.Dr Hanna says the disease mainly affects people with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes or kidney disease.”It’s not really an infection that healthy individuals need to worry about too much,” he said.”There are exceptions but they’re rare and deaths from melioidosis in healthy people are extremely uncommon. Melioidosis is essentially an infection which gets adults who have underlying serious medication conditions.”(Source: ABC Health News, Feb 2004)