Disease hits flooded areas in Northeast  

The Nation (Bangkok)

   FLOOD levels in most areas in the Northeast have subsided 
slightly but an outbreak of leptospirosis disease in Udon 
Thani has killed three people, local authorities said 
yesterday.
   The disease, known locally as yieow noo (rat urine) 
sickness, has also affected 47 others in Sang Khon district. 
Patients are receiving treatment.
   The level of the Mekong River has fallen by one-third 
since it peaked, but was still above the critical level last 
night, after a day free of rain.
   Floodwater levels in provinces bordering the river have 
also subsided slightly.
   In Mukdahan about 300 families, 4,000 rai of farmland and 
50 roads have been affected with losses estimated at Bt38.9 
million.
   Nine out of 12 districts in Nong Khai are still under 
water. Three people have been killed and more than 177,000 
people in 451 villages have been affected, while an 
estimated 335,000 rai of cropland has been damaged.
   Around 170 roads in the province are unusable and another 
115 are submerged, while 51 schools have been closed.
   There was no rain in Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom ­ where 
six people had been killed ­ or Phetchabun yesterday, but 
flood levels are still high.
   Further heavy rain and flooding is forecast for the 
northern and northeastern provinces bordering the Mekong 
River and nearby major rivers or water resources.