Risk of Exposure

While melioidosis infection has taken place all over the world, Southeast Asia and northern Australia are the areas in which it is primarily found.

In the United States, confirmed cases reported in previous years have ranged from zero to five and have occurred among travelers and immigrants coming from places where the disease is widespread.

Moreover, it has been found among troops of all nationalities that have served in areas with widespread disease.

The greatest numbers of melioidosis cases are reported in:

• Thailand
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Northern Australia

Though rarely reported, cases are thought to frequently occur in:

• Papua New Guinea
• Most of the Indian subcontinent
• Southern China
• Hong Kong
• Taiwan
• Vietnam
• Indonesia
• Cambodia
• Laos
• Myanmar (Burma)

Outside of Southeast Asia and Australia, cases have been reported in:

• The South Pacific (New Caledonia)
• Sri Lanka
• Mexico
• El Salvador
• Panama
• Ecuador
• Peru
• Guyana
• Puerto Rico
• Martinique
• Guadeloupe
• Brazil
• Parts of Africa and the Middle East

Related Links

Traveler’s Health Yellow Book: Melioidosis