1,500 kids in Afghanistan infected with diarrhoea

Kabul, Aug 10 (IANS) As many as 1,500 Afghan children have been infected with diarrhoea over the past week in the northern Takhar province, a local health official said on Wednesday.

"The infected children have been taken to the provincial hospital, where most of them, under eight years old, have been treated," the official told Xinhua news agency.

He said the disease was under control.

Hot weather, drinking polluted water and failure of families to observe healthcare tips were the reasons behind the spread of the disease in the province, according to sources.

Two weeks ago, in Kandahar province, a total of 9,500 people infected with diarrhoea were hospitalized, among them 667 diagnosed also with cholera.