Health security

Flesh-eating ulcer 'epidemic' in Australia stumps doctors

Doctors in Australia are looking for answers as they continue to investigate a "worsening epidemic" that's been plaguing the state of Victoria in recent years: the Buruli ulcer, an infection caused by flesh-eating bacteria.

"It mainly affects the skin but can also affect the bone," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states on its website. "Cases are generally seen in the tropics, primarily in West Africa and Australia."

At first, it looks like a small spider bite or bump – but within weeks, the lesion starts to swell and deepen due to Mycobacterium eating away at your skin and soft tissue.

"Unless [it's] treated with strong antibiotics, it could grow into a gaping ulcerated wound that may take a year to heal and even need surgical reconstruction," the University of Melbourne explained in a report on Monday.