Ella Crofts contracted Mycobacterium Ulcerans - a life-threatening third-world condition that is running rampant on the Mornington Peninsula. Credit:Simon Schluter A fast-growing outbreak on the Mornington Peninsula of the mysterious flesh-eating ulcer, previously largely confined to the developing world, has the health department puzzled and deeply concerned. The annual number of Victorians diagnosed with Buruli ulcers has almost tripled in the past three years and doctors believe it will continue to rise. Geelong Hospital deputy director of infectious diseases, Associate Professor Daniel O'Brien said 'we don't know where it might appear next". "It's getting more severe. We see now twice as many severe cases as we saw five years ago. And the biggest concern is we don't know how to prevent it," he said.

Mycobacterium Ulcerans on Ella Croft's right knee. Ella's local GP put her on strong antibiotics, but the wound continued to worsen. Swab tests for bacteria came back negative and eventually Ella got a biopsy, which came back positive for mycobacterium ulcerans. An image of Mycobacterium Ulcerans, also known as the Buruli ulcer. Since then, she has endured three operations to clean out the dead tissue around her knee and though the wound is slowly healing she still walks with a limp.

The schoolgirl started an online petition this week, calling for Health Minister Greg Hunt to provide more funding for research into the disease. It has already garnered more than 7500 signatures. Associate Professor O'Brien said the government had committed almost no funding to investigate the "epidemic". "There is a complete knowledge vacuum. The only way to address it is to do some very thorough, basic scientific research. It needs to be done urgently and immediately, and it needs to be funded, and nobody is at this stage," he said. Ella said until the government took the condition seriously people were at risk.

There have already been 159 recorded cases this year, up from 58 for the same time period in 2015. "I would like the government to provide funding and equipment to research mycobacterium ulcerans so then we can find a quicker or more effective way to treat the condition," she said. Mycobacterium's toxin decreases immune system function and results in tissue death. This infection comes from the same family as leprosy and tuberculosis. Experts think the bacterium may be spread by possums and mosquitoes, but no one is certain and it cannot be prevented. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said it was providing funding to a range of programs investigating the outbreak. "Experts from our public health laboratory and the department are currently engaged in collecting possum faeces from a number of locations on the Mornington Peninsula so that it can be analysed for the presence of the bacterium responsible for causing Buruli ulcer," the spokesman said.

Ulcers usually start as painless swellings that look like insect bites before growing into large lesions that can require major surgery to repair. Cases of the ulcer are largely confined to countries in west and central Africa, including Benin, Cameroon and Ghana. But in a mystery that continues to stump scientists, the bacterium has been causing ulcers in Victoria since the 1930s. Over the years there have been small outbreaks in East Gippsland, Phillip Island, and a major outbreak on the Bellarine Peninsula starting in 1998. In 2012 it jumped to the Mornington Peninsula, and cases have now even been recorded in Melbourne's south-east suburbs, including Bentleigh, Hampton and Cheltenham.

How to avoid the Buruli ulcer: Wear covering 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 ulcer is more common, such as the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas.

Ask your doctor about the ulcer if you think you have one - there is a fast and accurate diagnostic test available.