The Buruli ulcer attacking a patient's ankle

Doctors in Australia have called for urgent research into why a flesh-eating ulcer has become a "worsening epidemic" in the state of Victoria. Local cases of Buruli ulcer, a skin disease most commonly found in Africa, have surged by 400 per cent in the last four years, experts say. Doctors do not know how to prevent the disease, which is caused by bacteria that breaks down tissue.