Diarrhea hits Atauro

DILI, East Timor (JP): More than 185 people have been hospitalized in an outbreak of diarrhea on the Atauro Island, about 15 kilometers north of here, a local official said yesterday.

Chief of the local health office Rustam S. Pakaya said that there had been no reported fatalities and the Dili regency government has sent medical aid to the island.

He said that the illness, which has affected five villages, was because of a water shortage caused by the current dry season. (yac)