Fatal Disease Claims 150 Lives in Afghanistan

XINHUA, May 16, 1999

ISLAMABAD (May 16) XINHUA - A fatal disease called cirrhosis has claimed more than 150 lives in Afghanistan's Herat province, a U.N. spokesperson said here Sunday.

Stephanie Bunker said that the disease has erupted in Gulrang district of Herat province claiming 150 to 200 lives. A number of people, she said, are still suffering from it.

The basic cause of the disease, she said, is a poisonous plant that grows along with the wheat crop. When the people use the wheat bread, they suffer from the disease.

The disease had for the first time erupted in Gulrang district some 25 years ago and now it has broken out for the second time this year.

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