Meningitis hara Indijom

Preko sto mrtvih i skoro tisuću zaraženih Indijaca žrtve su meningitisa koja hara na sjeveru zemlje.

Forced to stroll near the rubbish and debris, because there's no where else to go. This is one of the slums in Shillong (shillung )the capital of Meghalaya (meghalaya) - one of the smallest states of India's Eastern Bengal and Assam region.

Poor sanitation, rubbish collection and poverty has led to a severe outbreak of meningitis fever that has claimed around 132 lives while another 900 are battling for survival.

A team of experts who visited the areas, said most of the fever cases have been reported from the slums.

The director of health in Shillong.

(SOUNDBITE) A. Kynjing, Director Of Health Shillong, saying (English):

"You find that this disease affecting the people of poor socio-economic status where the standard of hygiene is very poor. So from the state government we are trying our best to combat this disease by strengthening the surveillance of the cases and we have set up the control rooms in all the districts."

Meningitis starts with fever, headache, body pain and finally affects the brain.

The disease, spread through direct contact with infected droplets from the mouth or nose has claimed nine lives in January alone.

The State health authorities say control rooms have been set up in all the districts to increase surveillance.

A major epidemic in India occurred in 1986 with 686 deaths and over 7,400 reported cases.

Neena Dhaun, Reuters.