So far this wet season there have been 16 new cases of melioidosis, a critical disease caused by a bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei.

While most cases have been contracted in the greater Darwin area, Disease Control and Environmental Health director Dr Vicki Krause says it is only a matter of time before it strikes in Katherine.

"Every year there is at least one case from Katherine, often more," she said.

"In past years around 10 per cent of infections have been fatal, even with the best medical care," she said.

Last year, 2018-2019 there were 42 cases of Melioidosis, with the majority of those infected between 35 and 65 years old.

The Top End Health Service has warned the most recent case of melioidosis could have acquired the disease in Katherine or Darwin, prompting safety warnings especially after this week's heavy downpours.

Every year, at least 50 people are affected by melioidosis - an infectious disease found in soil and water, particularly in the Northern Territory, northeast Thailand and Vietnam.

10 to 15 per cent of cases each year result in death, a number which has improved significantly over the past 30 years since Dr Krause and her team began collecting data.

"Thirty years ago, fatality was at 30 per cent," she said.

"We now see people presenting earlier, and we can treat it better, but it can still be fatal."

The presence of the bacteria in surface soil greatly increases following the onset of wet weather. It can enter the body when areas of broken skin are exposed to contaminated mud or surface water.

"Cuts and sores are the perfect entry point for the bacteria to invade the body, but they can also be inhaled when soil gets stirred up by wind," Dr Krause said.

Melioidosis most often causes pneumonia but it can affect other parts of the body and can cause a variety of symptoms including fevers, a cough, shortness of breath, tiredness, abdominal pain, urinary symptoms, skin ulcers and occasionally problems such as headaches and confusion.

"Skin sores that do not heal should be investigated for Melioidosis," Dr Krause said.

Last year, the Katherine Times reported on two harrowing stories of people suffering through the aftermath of melioidosis contracted years before.

Brian Roberts passed away last year after receiving a small scratch on his leg on a fishing trip around 2017.

Brian Roberts passed away last year after receiving a small scratch on his leg on a fishing trip around 2017.

Both cases involved amputations. But Brian Roberts - a 63-year-old Salvation Army volunteer - didn't see the decade through after receiving a small scratch on a fishing trip around 2017.

He spent three and a half months lying in a hospital bed hundreds of kilometres away from home as he fought the disease. It was then months of daily visits to the hospital.

But in early 2019, the cut became infected and doctors made the decision to amputate his leg above the knee.

Mr Roberts passed away mere months after the operation.

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