Cyclones and flooding in tropical Northern Australia increase the risk of exposure to melioidosis

Bauer, Irmgard

Abstract

[Extract] Working holiday visas (WHV) enable young people, typically backpackers, to travel the world while earning money to finance long-term holidays. Australia is a popular destination with backpackers mainly working in fruit-picking or hospitality. On 2 February 2024, the Australian Department of Home Affairs extended the catalogue of permitted activities by including cleanup after cyclones.1 Included are activities such as (i) general cleaning up, including wiping down items, moving and cleaning furniture and appliances, hosing out properties and outdoor areas or mopping floors and transportation of rubbish; (ii) demolition of buildings, trench digging, land clearing and earth moving; and (iii) residential and non-residential construction or renovation/repair, including of roads, footpaths, bridges, parking lots, fencing, railways, dams, irrigation systems, sewage and storm water drainage systems.1 This change comes after Cyclones Jasper (11 December 2023) and Kirrily (26 January 2024) hit the North Queensland coast. Cyclones not only destroy infrastructure, livestock, wildlife and vegetation, interrupt communication and cause days-long power outages in oppressive heat and humidity, they also come with wide-spread and long-lasting flooding, submerging people’s homes. Once the water (brown sludge) recedes from dwellings, massive cleanup operations include emergency services and the armed forces. The overwhelming need for help led to the permission for backpackers to lend a hand.

Journal

Journal of Travel Medicine

Publication Name

N/A

Volume

ISBN/ISSN

1708-8305

Edition

N/A

Issue

Pages Count

Location

N/A

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Publisher Url

N/A

Publisher Location

N/A

Publish Date

N/A

Url

N/A

Date

N/A

EISSN

N/A

DOI

10.1093/jtm/taae031