Thai Floods Spread Disease...07/31/00

Floods that have been inundating regions of northern Thailand have also acted to spread leptospirosis — rat urine disease — which has killed at least 70 people this year.

Many rural areas of Thailand that have been experiencing recent heavy rainfall and flash flooding have huge rat populations. The bacteria, which is transmitted by rat urine, can live for a long time in fresh water, damp soil, vegetation and mud. Flooding after heavy rainfall aids in the spread of the bacteria in the environment.

People with the disease exhibit flu-like symptoms of headaches, muscle pains and high fever. The disease responds readily to antibiotic treatment if it is detected early.

In 1999, at least 130 people in Thailand died of leptospirosis — the largest number since it was first identified in the country in 1985.

Killer Floods Hit Northwest India

At least five people in India's northwestern state of Rajasthan were killed and 10,000 homes destroyed on Tuesday in widespread flooding triggered by ongoing torrential rains. The deaths brought the toll of flood victims this month to 40 people. Thousands of others have been left homeless, and many communications links have been disrupted.

Authorities reported that the homes had primarily been lost in 35 communities in the district of Bikaner, 250 miles northwest of the capital city of Jaipur. The houses were swept away after a nearby rain-swollen canal burst its banks. Numerous livestock were also killed in the disaster. General Administration Minister B.D. Kalla reported, "The Indira Gandhi Canal was overflowing and the district administration had to release its water through the escape channel."

Army troops were dispatched to the region to assist in the rescue operations.

Equation:
Sunspots = Solar Flares = Magnetic Shift = Shifting Ocean and Jet Stream Currents = Extreme Weather

Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes TV
http://www.earthchangesTV.com