Central Asia: Officials Struggle to Contain Outbreaks of Anthrax, Typhoid

A winter of hardship has given way to the summer of pestilence in Central Asia. Contagious diseases, such as anthrax and typhoid, are stoking public health crises in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. Numerous cases of anthrax have been diagnosed in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. On July 14, the Kyrgyz government press service revealed that seven individuals had been diagnosed with anthrax in the Nuken District in southern Jalalabad Province, according to the AKIpress news agency. Prime Minister Igor Chudinov has ordered a special task force, comprising representatives from various government ministries and agencies, to develop a plan to contain the spread of the highly infectious disease. At least one death in Kyrgyzstan has been attributed to the anthrax outbreak. Kazakhstani authorities have likewise recorded a death... [read full story]