New melioidosis death brings number of fatalities in Queensland this year to 35

Australia Broadcast Center

15-07-2025

Another person has died from the soil-borne disease melioidosis in Queensland, bringing the total recorded deaths across the state this year to 35.
Queensland Health said the death occurred in the Cairns and Hinterland region in the past seven days.
Another case was also recorded in the area in the same period.
This year to date, 237 people have been diagnosed with melioidosis in the stat
More than half of all cases have been recorded in the Cairns and Hinterland area, followed by the Townsville region.
The potentially deadly disease is prevalent in northern Australia, where the bacteria that causes it can be found in soil and water.
The bacteria can enter the body via cuts, inhalation or contaminated drinking water.
Outbreaks of the illness are often observed during the wet season or flooding.
Melioidosis is rare among healthy adults and children.
However, the risk is greater for people with health conditions such as diabetes or cancer.
Former NRL front rower Sam Backo remains in hospital after contracting melioidosis in Cairns in April.
James Cook University associate professor and microbiologist Jeffrey Warner said public awareness was limited due to a lack of knowledge about the disease.
Dr Warner said his team had begun a five-year study to better understand melioidosis.
"There's a lot we don't know about where the organism is in the environment [and] what preferred environment the organism requires for persistence," Dr Warner said.
Suggested causes for the outbreak include above-average rainfalls and the Bruce Highway upgrade.
Above-average rainfall hit north Queensland at the start of the year and by May, Townsville had recorded its wettest year on record.
Dr Warner said while there was a correlation between unprecedented rainfall in Townsville and where cases had occurred, the same could not be said for Cairns.
"There's something else going on here [in Cairns] and we're really interested in looking at the differences … between Townsville and Cairns," he said.
"Until we have a better handle on all of those things, we're not going to understand where it is, we're not going to understand who is vulnerable, we're not going to understand the individual behavioural issues that might be associated with acquisition.