Epidemic Kills 32 Diamond Mine Workers In DR Congo

EPIDEMICS

File photo of a boy searching for diamonds in the mud near near Mbuji-Mayi, Congo.

Kinshasa (AFP) Aug 19, 2005
Thirty-two people working in a diamond mine in the central region of the Democratic Republic of Congo are now known to have died from an "acute respiratory syndrome" since the end of July, according to new figures by the health ministry Friday.

"This infection, which must be confirmed by laboratory results, has already seen 32 victims notified out of the 1,500 cases registered," regional medical inspector Dr Andre Kasogo Mulamba told AFP.

The epidemic broke out on July 29 at Kabongola, about 240 kilometresmiles) from Kindu, the main city of the central Maniema province.

On August 11, the death toll stood at 23 out of 997 affected people in Kabongola, a mining town of about 6,000 inhabitants.

The epidemic begins with "bloody diarrhoea" and is accompanied by fever, pains in the throat, vomiting and later difficulty in breathing.

An official with Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), which last week sent an emergency team to Punia, north of Kindu, said it could be a "pulmonary plague" but that it was unconfirmed.

A diagnosis may be done within a month, said MSF's Philippe Havet.

EPIDEMICS

Death Toll Hits 251 In Waterlogged Mumbai And Surrounding Areas

Mumbai (AFP) Aug 17, 2005
The death toll from water-borne illnesses in India's financial and entertainment hub Mumbai and adjoining areas hit 251 Wednesday following record rains as a court ordered authorities to provide better relief.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Ultra-Wide-Band Research Poised To Save Lives In Rescue, Combat MESA Network May Boost Homeland Security Britain To Press For Disaster Response Fund At UN Summit: Minister Tsunami Aid Across Asia Failing To Get To Those Worst-Affected	CLIMATE SCIENCE Japan To Set Up Climate Change Monitoring Network With Neighbours: Report Warming Most Evident At High Latitudes, But Greatest Impact To Be In Tropics As Snow Melts, Swiss Alpine Resorts Look For New Paths Greenlandic Glacier Moving Fast
EARTH OBSERVATION Farewell Spit, New Zealand Earth From Space: Lake Kariba, Zambia-Zimbabwe Border The Rather Large Spacecraft That Could Envisat Monitoring China Floods As Part Of Dragon Programme	ENERGY TECH Explaining Painful Prices At The Pump Walker's World: New Great Asian Oil Game Scientists Harness The Power Of Pee On The Horizon: A "Rinse" For Washing Machines That Dries Clothes
EPIDEMICS Epidemic Kills 32 Diamond Mine Workers In DR Congo Death Toll Hits 251 In Waterlogged Mumbai And Surrounding Areas Cholera Epidemic Claims More Than 100 Lives In Guinea-Bissau UN Warns Of Possible HIV/AIDS Explosion In Somalia	FLORA AND FAUNA Microbe Has Huge Role In Ocean Life, Carbon Cycle The Ends of the Earth African Conservationists Denounce Proposal For Giant US Wildlife Park Greenland To Set Quotas On Polar Bear Hunt, But Allow Tourist Hunt
FROTH AND BUBBLE Malaysia To Start Cloud Seeding In Indonesia: Minister Indonesia Says Eight Out Of 10 Firms Responsible For Haze Are Malaysian Malaysia Sends 125 Firefighters To Battle Indonesia Blazes Malaysia Declares State Of Emergency As Haze Crisis Deepens	ABOUT US Japanese Eating Champion Wins Hong Kong Contest, Downs 100 Buns In 12 Mins UN Seeks More Rights For Disabled Researchers Take 'Fantastic Voyage' Through the Human Body Global Science Project Launched To Improve Understanding Of The Human Brain

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement