{"id":542963,"date":"2026-03-16T00:33:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T00:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/542963\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T00:33:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T00:33:08","slug":"residents-driveway-act-sparks-urgent-warning-to-aussies-over-silent-garden-killer-worse-than-your-worst-enemy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/542963\/","title":{"rendered":"Resident’s driveway act sparks urgent warning to Aussies over silent garden killer: ‘Worse than your worst enemy’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A woman has issued a stark warning about a silent killer lurking in Aussie gardens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Leichan Williams, 50, had no idea that an innocent session of tidying up her driveway would lead to her fighting for her life.<\/p>\n

The Cairns woman has opened up after becoming one of more than 130 people who were infected with deadly soil-borne bacteria meliodosis<\/a> during the region’s worst-ever outbreak last year.<\/p>\n

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria found in soil and water<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cases have spiked significantly in the past 12 months after wetter-than-average conditions hit tropical regions.<\/p>\n

Have you been impacted by melioidosis? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Leichan<\/p>\n

Leichan Williams was struck down with meliodosis after tidying up her garden. Source: Queensland Government.<\/p>\n

This year, in Queensland alone, 47 people have already been diagnosed with the condition.<\/p>\n

Williams spent weeks suffering debilitating symptoms after a quick session tidying up her front garden<\/a> in White Rock, a suburb of Cairns in Far North Queensland.<\/p>\n

The simple act of pulling weeds from her driveway may have left her struck down by the dangerous tropical illness.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, she survived the ordeal and is now warning others.<\/p>\n

“Melioidosis<\/a> isn\u2019t going anywhere. It\u2019s always in the soil,” Williams recently shared with Queensland Health<\/a> of the condition that nearly cost her her life.<\/p>\n

“Don\u2019t garden after heavy rain,” she warned.<\/p>\n

“Wear personal protective equipment: gloves, boots, even masks if needed. You wouldn\u2019t ride a motorbike in thongs \u2014 this is the same thing.<\/p>\n

“Melio is not something to play with. It\u2019s worse than your worst enemy,” she warned.<\/p>\n

Gardening session ends in woman fighting for life<\/p>\n

Williams suspects she was infected while she was carrying out some impromptu gardening.<\/p>\n

“I came home from work, jumped out of the car and went to clean the grass and debris out of the drain near our driveway,\u201c she said.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve got four cars, so I didn\u2019t want the drain to block because it was really heavy rain. I wasn\u2019t wearing much protection, just quickly doing it. I reckon that\u2019s how it started.”<\/p>\n

Williams believes she must have had a cut somewhere that became infected with the bacteria.<\/p>\n

Soon, she started to experience extreme fatigue.<\/p>\n

“I was getting tiredness, but not normal tiredness from work,” she said.<\/p>\n

“This was tiredness for no reason. But I\u2019ve come home after only five hours of work and be absolutely exhausted.\u2019<\/p>\n

Soon after, she lost her appetite and struggled to keep food down.<\/p>\n

In three weeks, she lost 11kg.<\/p>\n

“My workmates were telling me I looked different, my clothes were loose, and something wasn\u2019t right,” she said.<\/p>\n

She eventually visited Cairns Hospital’s Emergency Department, where she was diagnosed with sepsis, an extreme reaction to meliodosis bacteria.<\/p>\n

“My knee was huge \u2014 it looked like a polished coconut. I couldn\u2019t put any weight on it,” Leichan said.<\/p>\n

Doctors performed surgery on Leichan\u2019s knee twice \u2013 each time flushing out approximately 8L of fluid.<\/p>\n

They also needed to scrape away about 20cm of her femur bone to remove the bacterial infection.<\/p>\n

“The infection was in patches \u2014 my leg, my back, and later my heart. I also developed a blood clot. My blood pressure kept dropping under 100. I was very unwell,” Leichan said.<\/p>\n

Doctors went as far as considering amputating her leg to save her.<\/p>\n

Luckily, a strong dose of antibiotics got her infection and fever under control.<\/p>\n

A year later, she has been able to return to work but is still feeling the lasting impacts of the infection.<\/p>\n

She will be monitored for three years as she is at high risk for reinfection.<\/p>\n

Meliodosis targets those over 50, particularly those with chronic health conditions.<\/p>\n

“Being 50, diabetic and with high blood pressure, I fit all the risk categories,” said Williams.<\/p>\n

Rainfall and housing developments bring bacteria to the surface<\/p>\n

Microbiologist Jeffrey Warner previously told Yahoo News that harmful bacteria “happily live” just below the surface of the soil, and rainfall brings them to the surface.<\/p>\n

There is “strong evidence” that indicates rainfall of 30 millimetres or above invigorates the bacteria, and it’s “almost certainly when people get exposed”.<\/p>\n

However, there is is “strong anecdotal evidence” to suggest the construction of new housing developments where the bacteria is present could be driving an increase in melioidosis cases too.<\/p>\n

There are early signs that this is the case in Darwin and in the northern parts of Townsville, where urban sprawl has increased.<\/p>\n

How can Australians protect themselves?<\/p>\n

When it comes to Australians protecting themselves against melioidosis, “common sense” reigns supreme, Warner said.<\/p>\n

While it’s important to still get outside and enjoy fresh air, being mindful of when you do this in relation to recent downpours is crucial.<\/p>\n

“It’s just not wise to do the gardening then,” he said, urging residents to treat groundwater similarly to sewage.<\/p>\n

“It’s not sewage because it’s not contaminated with human waste, but it is contaminated with a bacteria we need to be careful of,” he said.<\/p>\n

“You could argue that you just need to treat water here the same way [as sewage]. It’s not necessarily something you should go out and engage with.”<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n