1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,200 Speaker 1: Now, as I mentioned a short time ago, we know 2 00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: that territories are being reminded about the risks of meliadosus 3 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: after six confirmed cases in the last week. There have 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: been twenty two cases and two deaths in the Northern 5 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: Territory since October last year, with health authorities expecting more 6 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: cases during the wet season. Ant Health Center for Disease 7 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: Controlled Director doctor Vicki Krass. 8 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 2: Joins me on the line. Good morning to. 9 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 3: You, Vicki, Yeah, good morning, Thank you. 10 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 2: So much for your time. 11 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,239 Speaker 1: Now, firstly, can you remind us what meliadosis is for 12 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 1: anybody listening this morning that. 13 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 2: Might not know. 14 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 3: Sure, Well, it's a bacteria and the bacteria lived deep 15 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,559 Speaker 3: in the soil, basically in the top end or in 16 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:49,200 Speaker 3: tropical areas, though it can go down a bit lower, 17 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 3: and when there's rain and hot weather like we've been 18 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 3: having down through the Barkley, can go below what we 19 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 3: might think of as the tropical areas of the Northern Territory. 20 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 3: So the bacteria the deep in the soil and after 21 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 3: drenching rains, the bacteria is brought up to the surface 22 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 3: and to water surfaces as well. So it's our interaction 23 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 3: with that muddy surface area and surface water that puts 24 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 3: us at risk of acquiring the bacteria and getting many 25 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 3: o those. 26 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:20,119 Speaker 2: You know, it's that time of the year as well. 27 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: And I know, even like even myself, when the kids 28 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: are out plying footy, they're plying soccer, they're doing different 29 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: things in that weather. So it is something that we 30 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: certainly need to be vigilant of or about and aware of. 31 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 3: Isn't it well? Absolutely, because we're not going to eradicate it. Yeah, 32 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 3: in Ausraela we have to learn deliver with it, and 33 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 3: so we have to be you know, do the things 34 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 3: that we can to protect ourselves from becoming infected and 35 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 3: know how it can gain entrance into our body. So 36 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 3: the main entrance is through our skin. So keeping your 37 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 3: skin intact is your best defense. So that's why we say, 38 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 3: you know, we're you wear gloves if you're working outside, 39 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 3: you know, gardening gloves or work gloves. Keep your skin 40 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 3: intact because that's your best defense. And if you should 41 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 3: get cut, to make sure you you know, clean them well, 42 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 3: and if you then have to go out again, make 43 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 3: sure they're covered over, you know, with waterproof dressings. The 44 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 3: other way you can acquired is from the inhalation because 45 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 3: and especially we all know over the past two or 46 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 3: three with that incredible windy weather that you know, the 47 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 3: bacteria can get whipped up and blown around, and just 48 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 3: by inhaling it can go. We can acquire it that way. 49 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 3: So trying to stay out of those with conditions as 50 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 3: much as possible, but particularly for people who are more 51 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 3: at risk of melos is not going out in those 52 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 3: conditions and the other conditions where you kind of aerosolize 53 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 3: but surface water is high pressure hond rate. You're doing 54 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 3: some cleaning in that regard, you should be wearying that. 55 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 2: Now, who is most risk? 56 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,399 Speaker 3: Sorry, yes, but I'm that's what we go to next, 57 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 3: because you were talking about, you know, young people in sports, 58 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 3: I do you know? Children are much at much more 59 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 3: lower risk. However, if there are children who have some 60 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 3: of the chronic diseases or immunosuppressive conditions, aren't going to 61 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 3: talk about they would be more at risk. But generally 62 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 3: children are at lesser risks. But they are specific people 63 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 3: and those are people who have immuno suppressive conditions and 64 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 3: right at the top there diabetes, So people who have 65 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 3: diabetes are at higher risk. People who have chronic like lung, liver, 66 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 3: kidney disease are at higher risks. People who have conditions 67 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 3: such as cancer and have to be on cancer therapies 68 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 3: are at higher risk or on other immunosuppressive therapies. People 69 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 3: who drink heavily ORNs drink are at higher risks, and 70 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 3: just advancing age the higher risks. So these are the 71 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 3: people who really have to be aware of taking the 72 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 3: precautions they can can not come in contact with the bacteria, 73 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 3: and we have a responsibility to tell people and our 74 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 3: loved ones that are friends and people coming up from 75 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 3: down south that this is in our environment and what 76 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 3: they can do. 77 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, VICKI, what are the you know, what are the 78 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,919 Speaker 1: main symptoms for people to look out for, because you know, 79 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: I guess as this really wether you know that we've 80 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: been experiencing and you sort of hear people that are 81 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: locals talk about million doses or sort of say, oh, 82 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,040 Speaker 1: you've got to be a bit careful. But what are 83 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: the main signs and symptoms that people really need to 84 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 1: keep an eye out for. 85 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:46,160 Speaker 3: Well, the main presentation of malvos is pneumonia, and so 86 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 3: it's you know, a fear cough, shorteness of breath, so 87 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 3: if you're experiencing those symptoms and that something you should 88 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 3: be paying attention to and talking with your clinician or 89 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 3: doctor or clinics. So that's the most common presentation. You 90 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 3: can actually go sort of full fill minute what you 91 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 3: might call blood poisoning, where you you know, feel you're 92 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:12,480 Speaker 3: very ted rall and you have headaches and get clouding 93 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 3: of your thoughts success or that's another presentation. This is 94 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 3: also a bactery that loves to form accesses in very 95 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 3: lots of your body. So you can get little or 96 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 3: bone abscesses. You can get for men, they particularly get 97 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 3: absences in the profit, so that's pain on your nation 98 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 3: or unable to rnate your skin. You can get accesses 99 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 3: or non healing ulcers on your skin. Those are something 100 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,559 Speaker 3: that need to get looked at chobbed early to find 101 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 3: out what's causing that non healing ulcer. 102 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: Now we've had twenty two cases since last October. How 103 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 1: does that compete to previous Yes. 104 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 3: Well, I'm going to say we now have twenty four 105 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 3: because we had two reports in the past day so 106 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 3: and that makes eight of those cases in the past week, 107 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 3: and so that's quite a few and a short period 108 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 3: of time, and I think it's important to recognize that 109 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 3: the incubation period, or the period from when you'd be 110 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,720 Speaker 3: exposed and infected to when you get the symptoms, there's 111 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 3: anywhere between one and twenty one day, So we still have, 112 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 3: you know, probably twenty more days after all that we 113 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 3: didn't hatch think that people possibly have been infected and 114 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 3: sh penal attention. Usually we get about fifty cases a year. 115 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 3: Last year we had eighty seven. It was a rainy year. 116 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 3: I mean, this disease follows the range and the floods 117 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 3: and the fight clones, so when you're having those in 118 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:46,760 Speaker 3: your in your city or region Europe, in an area 119 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 3: that's more at risk. So we do expect we'll be 120 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 3: seeing more cases because of the beau of the wind 121 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 3: and rain we've had in flooding, and we do expect 122 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 3: it actually will be more rain before. 123 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: I mean, eight cases in the last week is that 124 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:07,239 Speaker 1: a lot for a one week period. 125 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 3: We have had that many. We've had up to twelve. 126 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 3: I mean you've had a really rainy, windy area at 127 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 3: a time, then you're that is the time. You know, 128 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 3: through October November December, we hardly had any So we've 129 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 3: kind of put up to where we're about, you know, 130 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 3: on par for end of January if it was a 131 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 3: normal year, but we've basically had most all our cases 132 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 3: in January, Yeah, instead of that. 133 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, VICKI Look, if there's one you know, take 134 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: home that you'd like our listeners to sort of really 135 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: make sure that they hear today about Melia Doss, what 136 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: would you say to them? 137 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 3: Well, I think, particularly if you're in those high risk 138 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 3: categories I've talked about, you have reasons to know that 139 00:07:56,360 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 3: you're in suppressed for our chronic diseases or medication durn 140 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 3: or cancer. I think that with diabetes leading that group, 141 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 3: but also renal disease, liver lung et cetera, and overusing 142 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 3: of alcohol, you really do have to pay attention to 143 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 3: guide yourself from being exposed to surface soil and water. 144 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 3: So don't go out in most conditions if you have 145 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 3: to be walking through or working in those conditions, make 146 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 3: sure you're wearing shoes or waterproof boots and gloves. Don't 147 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 3: go out if you can avoid it when the wind 148 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 3: is really clipping around. And make sure those that you 149 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,280 Speaker 3: might be coming to visit you, especially if they have 150 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,320 Speaker 3: some of these conditions or of advanced stage that they're 151 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 3: aware they're in the environment that has this bactery and 152 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 3: we just have to learn to try and protect ourselves 153 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:54,959 Speaker 3: from well. 154 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,560 Speaker 1: Doctor Vicky Kraus from the Center for Disease Control, the 155 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: director of the Center for Disease Control, I always appreciate 156 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 1: your time. 157 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 2: Thank you very much for having a chat with us today. 158 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:06,439 Speaker 3: Oh, you're very welcome. 159 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:07,000 Speaker 2: Thank you.