Cases of a flesh-eating bug are soaring as a stark warning has been given about the condition. Known as Buruli ulcer, a flesh-eating bacteria is spreading rapidly through a suburb in Melbourne, Australia, prompting warnings from the chief health officer to take protective measures. The bug has been known to occur in Australia since the 1940s, and now Victoria's chief health officer, Prof Ben Cowie, has warned the community about the risk of infection after a recent increase in cases linked to