Steep Rise In Cholera Cases In Northern Iraq

An Iraqi woman reads a cholera awareness poster (AFP) October 1, 2007 -- Iraq's Health Ministry says more than 500 new cases of cholera have been confirmed in the last few days in Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk, bringing the total number across the country to more than 3,000.

A ministry spokeswoman said that 15 people had died from the disease, but that the relatively low death toll indicated the outbreak was under control despite the steep rise in the number of confirmed cases.

Kirkuk Governorate, with almost 2,200 cases and two deaths, has been the epicenter of the outbreak.

(Reuters)