RAT FEVER HITS INDIA

Rat fever hits India after worst flood

The southern Indian state of Kerala is battling an outbreak of a bacterial disease that authorities suspect has killed dozens of people since mid-August after the worst flooding in a century.

A health ministry spokesman said as of Sunday there had been nearly 200 confirmed cases of what is locally called rat fever.

The rat fever is the waterborne disease leptospirosis transmitted via the urine of infected animals, with symptoms including muscle pain and fever.

The surge in cases comes after torrential rain beginning on Aug. 8 flooded almost the entire state, killing hundreds of peoples destroying thousands of homes and causing at least 200 billion rupees (2.81 billion dollars) worth of damage.