Bandicoots have a bifurcated penis.

And are Salmonella factories.

In 2014, at least 19 people were sickened after coming into contact with bandicoot poop while playing in the sand in Sydney’s northern beaches.

It’s happened again.

Julie Cross of The Daily Telegraph reports a playground on the northern beaches has been closed after two children became sick with salmonella after playing in the sandpit.

The children caught the infection, believed to be spread through contact with bandicoot droppings, after playing at Warriewood Valley Rocket Park in Casuarina Drive.

Now Northern Beaches Council says it is considering replacing the sand with rubber to prevent the problem recurring.

The former Pittwater Council spent $285,000 replacing playground sand contaminated by the nasty bug with a soft rubber surface.

As well as spreading salmonella java, the protected bandicoot is a known tick host, which can cause mammalian meat and tick allergies and other diseases.

Northern Sydney Local Health District public health director Michael Staff said as the peninsula was a stronghold of the bandicoot, most cases of the salmonella java bug was linked to the area.

There have been 12 reported cases linked to the peninsula this year.

“We hope that the closure of the park will prevent further cases,” Dr Staff said.

The health district said a sand sample taken from the playground was tested after two confirmed salmonella java cases were reported to the public health unit, one in April and another in May.

Northern Sydney Local Health District director of public health Dr Michael Staff said parents of young children should try and stop them putting their hands in their mouths when they’re playing outside and get them to wash their hands after they have been outside.

Uh-huh.