A recent outbreak of Melioidosis in flood devastated North Queensland has claimed at least seven lives and with even more cases being reported.

The rare disease has put health authorities on alert as the severity of this current outbreak is higher compared to years gone past.

To find out exactly what is the disease and why its surging, 4ZZZ's Toni Pankaluic spoke with Dr Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer of Microbiology at Western Sydney University.

For a deep dive...

The governments of Northern Territory and Queensland provide useful health fact sheets for Melioidosis. If you wish to learn more about the disease itself then the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is another helpful resource for you to check out.

To follow the latest on the North Queensland flood disaster, this link will provide all the updates on the situation.