The death toll from an outbreak of cholera and other water-borne stomach diseases in eastern India rose to 186 Wednesday, with thousands of people still being treated, officials said.
Officials in three affected districts -- some 500 kilometres (310 miles) southwest of impoverished Orissa state's capital, Bhubaneswar -- supplied the toll, disputed by opposition parties and aid workers, who quote higher numbers.
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine and is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
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In Rayagada district, 78 people have died since the outbreak of cholera last month, the district's top medical officer P. Sitaram said Wednesday, adding that more villages were reporting cases.
In neighbouring Koraput district, the chief administrative official said a total of 79 people had died.
"We have reports of 79 deaths related to cholera and gastroenteritis," Balakrushna Sahoo told AFP.
![Orissa's Cholera Outbreak Has Claimed 105 Lives]( "Orissa's Cholera Outbreak Has Claimed 105 Lives")
At least 105 people have died of cholera and some 6,000 people are suffering from diseases caused by drinking dirty water in the east Indian state of Orissa, officials said Wednesday.
And in adjacent Kalahandi district, 29 cholera deaths have been reported so far, officials said.
A health control room in Bhubaneswar set up to monitor the outbreak of water-borne diseases said more than 5,000 people were being treated for cholera and other stomach diseases, according to a government spokesman.
Representatives of the ActionAid development group in Orissa have challenged the figures being put out by officials, saying the death toll is closer to 250, while state opposition parties put it at almost 500.
"The Orissa government is using the term gastroenteritis to cover up deaths due to cholera," said Bijoy Mohapatra, chief of the Orissa Gana Parishad (Orissa Peoples' Forum), a regional political party.
Source: AFP
LIN/J
"We have reports of 79 deaths related to cholera and gastroenteritis," Balakrushna Sahoo told AFP.
Orissa's Cholera Outbreak Has Claimed 105 Lives
At least 105 people have died of cholera and some 6,000 people are suffering from diseases caused by drinking dirty water in the east Indian state of Orissa, officials said Wednesday.
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And in adjacent Kalahandi district, 29 cholera deaths have been reported so far, officials said.
A health control room in Bhubaneswar set up to monitor the outbreak of water-borne diseases said more than 5,000 people were being treated for cholera and other stomach diseases, according to a government spokesman.
Representatives of the ActionAid development group in Orissa have challenged the figures being put out by officials, saying the death toll is closer to 250, while state opposition parties put it at almost 500.
"The Orissa government is using the term gastroenteritis to cover up deaths due to cholera," said Bijoy Mohapatra, chief of the Orissa Gana Parishad (Orissa Peoples' Forum), a regional political party.
Source: AFP
LIN/J
Cholera Kills Over 400 in Angola Since Start of Year
Almost 420 people have been killed by cholera in Angola since the start of the year, according to figures released on Monday by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Luanda.
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