RP peacekeepers downed by malaria

Thu, 27 Jul 2000, 00:00 WIB | Source: AFP

MANILA (AFP): More than half the 577 Filipino soldiers who
served with the UN peacekeeping force in East Timor returned
stricken with malaria, a military spokesman said on Wednesday.

All but four of the first batch of 334 soldiers who returned
in June after a six-month tour of duty with a malaria strain that
is immune to chloroquine, Colonel Jaime Canatoy said, adding that
the group was subsequently treated with mesloquine.

Only one of the second batch of 243 soldiers who returned on
Monday was stricken with malaria and he is recuperating at a
military hospital here, Canatoy said in a statement.

The two contingents sustained no casualties though military
spokesmen have said two of the group were treated for snake
bites.

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