Death toll rises from disease with heavy rain link

Death toll rises from disease with heavy rain link

Author: AAP

Published: 23-02-2025

Another person has died from a disease linked with heavy rain in a flood-hit region that may soon be on cyclone watch.

Queensland Health confirmed an elderly person had died of melioidosis in Townsville while three new cases of dengue virus had also been discovered in the community.

It came after it was revealed melioidosis had claimed four lives further north in Cairns, with the region recording a total number of 41 cases since January 1.

The disease is associated with the wet season and is spread through contact with contaminated water, soil and air, causing death in up to 20 per cent of treated cases.

North Queensland is reeling from record rainfall that triggered flooding, claiming two lives and forcing hundreds to evacuate their homes.