Hunt for answers in ulcer mystery

AN AMBITIOUS research project looking for answers around a mysterious flesheating ulcer common on the Bellarine Peninsula has begun.

Experts expect rates of the buruli ulcer, also known as the Bairnsdale ulcer, will be up between 10 and 20 per cent on last year on this side of the bay.

It comes as a large increase of cases has appeared on the Mornington Peninsula.

Bairnsdale ulcer destroys healthy cells on contact and has the ability to eat away skin, nerve, blood and fat cells. It can cause gangrene and tissue loss.

Barwon Health’s deputy director of department of infectious diseases, Associate Professor Daniel O’Brien, said the Bellarine Peninsula was still “absolutely the hot spot” for the condition in the Barwon South West region.

And there are concerns the disease may have made its way to the Surf Coast.

“We are investigating the possibility (that) there’s been some cases in Aireys Inlet recently,” Prof O’Brien said.

“Previously Aireys Inlet has not been known to be in an endemic area but that’s the thing with this disease — it moves.

“At this stage we don’t have any real evidence that it’s in Geelong.”

In the Barwon South West region there have been 24 notifications of new cases of the condition between January 1 and October 20, Department of Health data shows.

This is up slightly from 21 in the same period last year.

There were 12 in the same period for 2016.

Statewide, there have been 279 cases between January 1 and October 20 this year, while there were 227 last year.

Barwon Health, Deakin University and CSIRO are partnering to investigate the mysterious condition, with a research project planned to last two years.

“We don’t know why cases go up and down, why it moves around in different areas, even really how it’s contracted,” Prof O’Brien said.

“We’re desperately trying to get to the bottom of that … and planning a very thorough research project.”

Residents of the Bellarine Peninsula can expect to receive a survey in the near future as part of the research.

Prof O’Brien said the questionnaire would look at various things from “climate to water to soil to pets”.

“(It) will be sent to people who have the disease, who (have had) it and also people who haven’t.”

A proportion of those people will then be asked if they are happy for a scientist to come and check things like water.

“Until we know (the true risk factors) … we really can’t design effective public health preventions,” Prof O’Brien said.

Prof O’Brien said treatment, which entails antibiotics and occasionally surgery, was “very effective”.

Barwon Health has treated about 110 cases in total this year and currently has about 80 active patients, with people from around the state seeking treatment at Barwon Health, he said.