KABUL, Afghanistan -- A provincial official says a cholera outbreak at a village in northeast Afghanistan has infected 1,492 people, killed a young woman and left another 100 in critical condition.
Abdul Marouf Rasekh, a spokesman for the governor of Badakhshan province, said Tuesday that the outbreak began three days ago and was restricted to one town that has been quarantined.
He says that the source of the infection has been traced to a single spring of water in the town of Chappa in the Darayen district.
He adds that 36 of the most serious cases have been taken to a hospital in the provincial capital of Faizabad.
Afghanistan has had cholera outbreaks in the past. The World Health Organization says cholera is virulent but mortality rates are low if treated quickly.
