Disease

Cholera in Kenya - Update

At least 65 people are confirmed to have died in a nearly five-month-old cholera outbreak in Kenya, with infections also continuing to rise in the capital Nairobi, health officials said Wednesday.

Health Minister James Macharia said 326 new cases have been reported over the past week nationwide, a nearly 50 percent increase over the previous week and bringing the total number of cases to 3,223.

Five new deaths have also been reported in Nairobi over the past week.

The rise in cases has been blamed on heavy rains in the capital and Rift Valley region that have polluted drinking water supplies, although cases have also been reported in the coastal city of Mombasa.

New Avian Flu Outbreaks in India

There have been two outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 serotype in domestic birds in India. The outbreaks were confirmed by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, in Bhopal.

One of the outbreaks occurred on a farm with a population of 21814 birds, of which 940 died from the disease. The other outbreak occurred in a 201264-strong population of village birds, 41040 of which died from the disease. The rest of the birds in both areas were destroyed to prevent the spread of avian influenza.