
Diphtheria Cases in Afghanistan Rise to 45
Xinhua News Agency;
[08/07/2003]
Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) report a spike in the number of diphtheria cases in southern Afghanistan. Officials say the number of diphtheria cases in a camp for domestic refugees near Kandahar has risen to 45 since the first case was diagnosed last month; three people have died so far. The WHO's Yvette Bivigou confirmed that one or two new cases are being reported every day, most of them among children between the ages of five and 14 years. She said the WHO is working with Afghan authorities to contain the outbreak through a massive immunization campaign that consists of 16 vaccination teams that will fan out across the camp to inoculate villagers.
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