A flesh-eating disease has exploded in a popular NSW holiday destination amid growing fears it could spread to Sydney and affect millions.
Batemans Bay on the NSW south coast has become the new epicenter of a new outbreak of Buruli ulcers, which eat away at skin and soft tissue, according to an urgent warning from infectious disease experts.
‘Batemans Bay is a new endemic source of Buruli ulcer transmission in humans,’ researchers wrote in an article article for the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases on Tuesday.
They added: ‘The risk of further spread along the NSW coast is significant.’
Two cases have been detected in the region, which scientists believe are linked to outbreaks in Victoria, where 350 confirmed cases have been recorded so far this year.
Researchers believe mosquitoes spread the disease from infected possums to humans.
But the incubation period can be up to five months, because the Mycobacterium ulcerans bacteria release a toxin that rots the skin and subcutaneous soft tissue.
A 94-year-old man in Bateman Bay lost one of his fingers to the flesh-eating disease after injuring the ring finger of his left hand in 2020 when it became stuck in the folding legs of an outdoor table.
Bateman’s Bay (pictured) on the NSW south coast has become the new epicenter of a new outbreak of Buruli sores, a flesh-eating disease believed to be spread by infected possums
The 94-year-old Bateman Bay man lost one of his fingers (pictured) to the flesh-eating disease after injuring the ring finger of his left hand when he injured it on an outdoor table in 2020
The painful and swollen wound gradually opened until doctors discovered the presence of a Buruli ulcer.
But it was too late to save the finger and doctors were forced to amputate it to prevent the flesh-eating disease from spreading further.
The second case in Batemans Bay involved a 71-year-old man who noticed a mosquito bite on his upper right arm in May 2023.
It developed into a small ulcer, but did not respond to a course of antibiotics, so he was sent for a biopsy.
Buruli ulcer can normally be treated with a course of strong antibiotics and dressing the wound.
Scientists also tested possum feces found near the reported cases and discovered the presence of Buruli ulcers in the samples, reinforcing their theory that the disease is transmitted from the marsupials to humans via mosquitoes.
‘Given the many similarities in wildlife composition and insect presence between the coastal areas of Victoria and Eden and Batemans Bay in NSW, it is likely that NSW public health authorities are now experiencing a gradual expansion of the Buruli ulcers endemic areas and an increase in human infections, just as has been the case in Victoria,” the researchers noted.
Researchers said ‘the risk of further spread along the NSW coast is significant’ (pictured, Bondi)