Queensland residents are being urged to take precautions around cyclone floodwaters to avoid infection with a potentially fatal bacterial disease.
Mater's Director of Infectious Diseases, Professor Paul Griffin, warned that melioidosis is often found in mud and floodwaters after extreme weather events.
The bacteria can enter the body through cuts and sores, by drinking dirty water and even breathing - and has already claimed 16 lives this year in North Queensland.
Symptoms of melioidosis include fever, cough, chest pain, headache and skin sores.
"It is a bacterial germ that lives in the soil and rarely causes infection," Prof Griffin said.
"However, it can be spread following extreme weather events, and especially among people with long-term health issues."
People who are immunocompromised, those who consume high levels of alcohol, or have diabetes, are most at risk of contracting the disease.
"We have seen around 80 cases in North Queensland due to flooding this year, 16 of which were fatal," Prof Griffin said.
To prevent melioidosis, Queenslanders are urged to take care of their skin by wearing protective clothing - including gum boots, long pants and long-sleeved shirts - during the clean-up.
"Be sure to clean, disinfect and cover any wounds, wear a mask and protect yourself from contaminated particles that can be inhaled or ingested," he said.
Prof Griffin said people cleaning up after flooding were also at risk from aeromonas, another bacterium found in contaminated water which can sometimes cause skin and soft tissue infections.
He advised people who develop an infection to see a doctor immediately and advise them you have been exposed to contaminated water.
