SYDNEY, July 1 -- Doctors urged that 1,200 Australian children get tested for infectious diseases on Tuesday after police charged a former daycare worker with dozens of "deeply distressing" sex crimes.

Victoria police said a 26-year-old man had been charged with more than 70 crimes stemming from alleged sexual assaults against eight children aged between five months and two years old.

"As you could imagine this was deeply distressing for the families to hear," police commander Janet Stevenson told reporters.

The man worked at 20 nursery schools across the city of Melbourne between 2017 and 2025, Stevenson said.

State chief health officer Christian McGrath said 1,200 children who may have come into contact with the accused should be te...