Five more people have died from melioidosis, bringing the death toll from the bacteria in Queensland’s north to 12.
The threat from the infection-causing bacteria is lurking in the mud and dirty water left behind by the February floods.
The Cairns and Hinterland Health Service confirmed on Tuesday that five more people have died from melioidosis.
Cairns has recorded a total of 53 cases this year, while Townsville has had 34.
The disease can become airborne during heavy rain, leading Tropical Public Health Services to urge residents to protect themselves from infection.
The most at-risk Queenslanders are elderly people with diabetes, kidney trouble and other chronic illnesses like lung disease or heavy alcohol users.
Soil bacteria rises to the surface in muddy water during rain and people breathe it in or it enters the body through a break in the skin.
Symptoms range from fever, pneumonia, exhaustion, vomiting, abdominal pains or chest pressure.
Tropical Public Health Services director Jacqueline Murdoch said the region had never had so many cases.
‘It absolutely is a record-breaking year,’ she told the ABC.
‘Certainly we haven’t seen anything like this.
‘It’s a very severe disease and it has a reasonably high fatality rate, so we do have a large number of deaths now, which is reflecting the large number of cases.
‘Certainly, the climate has something to do with it. We had such a big rainy season last year – that is likely contributing to the high numbers.’