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Major surgery is often required to cut them out. There have been two famous cases of limb amputation in Victoria in the last five years.
Data from the Department of Health and Human Services shows there were 277 cases in 2017, up from 65 in 2013.
Addison Taylor's knee.Credit:Justin McManus.
There have already been 276 infections this year, including 49 new cases in the last four weeks.
If the trend continues, the total number of boxes for the year could reach 400 by the end of the year.
Daniel O'Brien from Geelong 's Barwon Health, who is currently treating more than 100 patients, said:
"The epidemic is getting bigger and bigger," he said.
"It's looking like we'll see up to 400 boxes this year and who knows what we'll see next year and the year after, so that's the concern.
"It's not turning around. And then it's moving, we do not know where it will appear. "
"But we do not have 100 percent know how to prevent it, we are not having much success," he said.
The leading specialist in the field of government Medical Journal of Australia earlier this year.
Jan Smith nearly lost her foot after the ulcer on her ankle was misdiagnosed.
It will be considered to be a risk factor for the investigation of the situation and will be investigated.
Also known as the Bairnsdale ulcer, the disease was first recorded in the East Gippsland town in the 1930s, but was more recently seen on the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas.
By 2015, it had moved to Melbourne's south-east suburbs, including Bentleigh, Hampton and Cheltenham.
There are now being recorded in Brighton and Port Phillip, including Elwood and St Kilda.
This map shows numbers of recent Victorian council area. The size of the circles is indicative of a recent risk of infection in the locations shown.Credit:Professor Paul Johnson
What is most important is that Victoria is the only non-tropical part of the world where the ulcer is detected. Much smaller numbers of cases are recorded in Far North Queensland.
Africa, including Benin, Cameroon and Ghana.
About two months ago, four-year-old Addison Taylor woke up her mother Nicole in the middle of the night at their Rye home complaining that her knee hurt.
It had been swollen to about the size and not the size.
However, by the next morning the bread has gone away and only has a small pink bruise was left.
Ms Taylor believed Addison must have fallen over and there was no need to follow it up.
It's going to be there, then all of a sudden cracked open.
"It happened so fast, within a week it opened up a big wound," she said.
Her doctor booked Addison straight in to see Professor O'Brien, who gave her a course of antibiotics and told her he would get worse before it got better.
Ms Taylor said more people are about to be killed.
"I wish I'd know it's so bad," she said.
"Addie's been so brave. It's quite scary for her, it's not nice to look at. "
Professor O'Brien said awareness of the ulcer among physicians had improved since they were commonplace.
However, it is much more important to have a history of intrusive treatment.
"The message is if you've gotten to know that you're not going away, that you're not going to check it out, it's not a Buruli ulcer."
Recorded cases of the Buruli ulcer in Victoria:
2018 276 (year to date)
2017 277
2016 182
2015 107
2014 89
2013 65
2012 75
2011 78
2010 32
How to avoid the Buruli ulcer:
- Wearing clothing that reduces contact with biting insects
- Use insect repellent on exposed skin
- Clean and cover cuts and abrasions
- Remain aware if you live in or visit areas where the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas
- Ask your doctor about the ulcer if you think you have one – there is a fast and accurate diagnosis test available
Chloe Booker is a reporter at The Age.
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