reports news.co.au<\/a> .<\/p>\n\u201cWe still don\u2019t know a lot about where it\u2019s coming from,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne current theory is maybe it\u2019s spreading in possums and somehow humans get infections indirectly.<\/p>\n
“Maybe they are getting it from possums via mosquitoes. But maybe possums are just victims of it, like humans.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bairnsdale ulcer, also known at the Buruli ulcer, can also affect bones if it worsens.<\/p>\n
It often erupts on the elbow, back, calf or ankle about four months after a person has been bitten but is easily treated if caught early.<\/p>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Buruli-ulcer.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Illustration of a Buruli ulcer(Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)<\/p>\n
The incubation process is slow, and it\u2019s likely transmitted while people are in tropical climates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still don\u2019t understand why people get it and exactly how to stop it, and how to stop it moving around,\u201d Prof Johnson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt starts as something strange and innocuous but it gradually gets bigger and looks like a small volcano on your skin.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gradually swells and hollows out and discharges.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/A-Buruli-ulcer-in-a-17-year-old-boy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A Buruli ulcer in a 17-year-old boy(Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)<\/p>\n
In rare cases the ulcer is known to have caused gangrene, the death and decomposition of body tissue.<\/p>\n
Other cases have been recorded in Nigeria, Mali and other west African countries, with Australia as the only developed country to have an outbreak.<\/p>\n
In three years the number of cases have doubled as 106 cases were recorded in 2015 compared to the 65 in 2013.<\/p>\n
There have already been 45 cases recorded this year in Victoria alone.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/A-Buruli-ulcer-on-a-mans-leg.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Australia is the only developed country to have the bug(Image: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)<\/p>\n
In a health warning, chief health officer for Victoria Professor Charles Guest said the bug remained a \u201cconcern\u201d in the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone is susceptible to infection,\u201d the warning states.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough the source of the infection is unknown, this environmental organism appears to be associated with swampy or stagnant water, and\/or coastal vegetation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES: The bug is spread through mosquito bites and often does not display symptoms until months…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[14573,22,21,15264,12085],"class_list":["post-24309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-amputation","tag-au","tag-austrlia","tag-heart-disease","tag-hospitals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/A-Buruli-ulcer-on-a-patient-in-Australia.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780535357_797_A-Buruli-ulcer-on-a-patient-in-Australia.jpg\")
<\/p>\n