FIVE patients are being treated in Queensland hospitals for a mystery infectious disease believed to be flood-related.
The news comes as concern mounts for thousands of people cleaning up after the floods and exposing themselves to bacteria and viruses.
Queensland Health has confirmed the patients have been tested for a range of diseases, including melioidosis and some flaviviruses such as kunjin virus and encephalitis.
One of the patients was transported to Brisbane after he became seriously ill.
Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria found in soil, mud and water and is brought out by intense rainfall. It can be fatal or cause loss of limbs.
People become infected through a break in the skin or inhaling the bacterium presenting initially with a fever, cough and chest pain that can develop into pneumonia.
Usually melioidosis occurs only in tropical climates but the last case in Brisbane was after the 1974 floods.
Drug treatments for melioidosis have been given to some of the five patients, of whom four are in Rockhampton and one is being treated in Brisbane after visiting Rockhampton.
"We have five cases of people who were involved in the floods in the Rockhampton, Theodore, Moura area who have developed infections of some sort," Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said yesterday.
"We don't know what it is, we are still waiting on results from those tests."
Dr Young said doctors were "doing a whole herd of tests" to diagnose the disease.
She said she was extremely concerned about infection after seeing many people walking in flood waters and mud without proper protection.
"I am worried about people getting staphylococcal infections," she said. "Staph is in the water. If people can avoid going into it, they should.
"People will get cuts from debris and they will have staph and strep infections because of the bacteria in the water."
The warning came as Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd was treated in hospital for a foot infection yesterday. A spokesman said Mr Rudd suffered a minor abrasion while helping out in the floods, which later became infected.
Federal Opposition spokesman on regional health services, Andrew Laming, yesterday criticised Queensland Health for its "slow response" and "misinformation" regarding the flood emergency.
Dr Laming said Queensland Health had been providing conflicting advice to people since December 29.
"The public health message at this point has been inadequate. If it turns out we have significant bacterial infections then this needs to be managed better," he said.
Meanwhile, a warning has been issued to GPs by their peak body that up to 70 per cent of people associated with Queensland floods are expected to become ill either physically or mentally.
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