Moscow, 27 February 1997 (RFE/RL) - Russia's Interfax news agency reports that at least 25 people have died in Tajikistan from typhoid fever in the past month, and as many as 20,000 have been sickened.
Health officials in the capital Dushanbe say more than 5,000 people have officially registered to seek medical help for the illness. The International Red Cross says there are about 4,000 cases of typhoid fever in Dushanbe alone. Reports say Turkmenistan is also being hit by typhoid.
Moscow sent a plane-load of medical supplies worth $700,000 to Tajikistan today. The supplies include antibiotics, other medications and disposable syringes.