24-05-2025
Warning to Aussie gardeners after string of deaths: 'People should be frightened'
Victims of a "life-changing" disease that has killed dozens of Aussies this year are urging others to stay vigilant, with those who spend time outdoors or tending to gardens at greatest risk.
There have been 221 cases and 31 deaths from melioidosis in north Queensland this year, and authorities are scrambling to understand what brought on the sudden surge. James Schmidt, 54, is currently suffering from the disease which is caused by bacteria commonly found in soil and water in South East Asia and northern Australia.
From a Townsville hospital bed he told Yahoo News he first noticed something wasn't right when he found an abscess in his glute.
"I developed the abscess in early February and it was first treated with antibiotics," he said, detailing his diagnosis and battle to beat the disease. "I was then admitted to the hospital to have it drained. After being discharged, 24 hours later the infectious diseases ward rang me asking me to report back to the hospital. Pathology had found melioidosis," he explained, saying he had no idea he had it.
James has since been fighting the life-threatening disease and faces a long recovery after suffering a spinal fracture from a seizure.
The bacteria causing melioidosis live in soil and groundwater. The bacteria thrive in warm and humid areas, meaning those in North Queensland, the Top End of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia are most at risk.
Melioidosis increases with high rainfall and flooding and these conditions have driven the current outbreak in north Queensland. Another Townsville resident Scott Kirstenfeldt, 47, who previously worked in Casuarina in the Northern Territory and survived the disease twice — once in 1999 and 2002 — told Yahoo News he believes he was more susceptible to it as he worked as a groundskeeper for a large shopping complex and "did gardening at home".
"If you are immune compromised with illness, have a cut or abrasion, or breathe in the bacteria it can infect your body in the area of initial infection and spread through the bloodstream if not treated quickly," Scott said.
James confirmed to Yahoo he frequently maintained residential homes as part of his job as a disability home carer and it's likely he picked up the bacteria then.
While Scott is wary of causing panic, he has issued an urgent plea to Aussies who live in the current hotspot and along the northern parts of the country to be wary of it.
"Melioidosis is generally considered rare to catch... but people should be frightened, [it] is extremely dangerous and if not treated quickly will result in death from total organ failure," he said. "Imagine the worst cold or flu you've suffered from and multiply it by five... I don't know how to put into words how truly life-changing it is, and after you've been released from hospital it takes years to fully recover."
The disease generally takes up to four weeks to establish itself, meaning many don't develop symptoms immediately once exposed. Symptoms include fever, headache, non-healing skin cores and seizures.
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