Snippets
• An outbreak of Ebola virus in southern Sudan infected at least 15 people, killing four of them. The World Health Organization has traced the occurrence to the town of Yambio near the Kenyan border. Swift action may avert an outcome similar to recent epidemics in Uganda and Congo. Early Ebola diagnosis is difficult as its initial symptoms are similar to those of malaria.
• The World Bank has pledged to double monetary aid for rehabilitating radioactive waste sites in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. The Soviet nuclear industry left the country with several radioactive dumps and uranium waste sites (See: 'Stemming the rot', Down To Earth , March 31, 2004). These sites threaten one of Central Asia's most densely populated areas