Free Republic

An unknown illness has killed over 50 people in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to doctors in the central African nation and the World Health Organization. The interval between the onset of symptoms and death has been just 48 hours in the majority of cases, and "that's what's really worrying," Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center, told The Associated Press on Monday. The latest disease outbreak in Congo began on Jan. 21, and 419 cases had been recorded as of Monday, including 53 deaths. According to the WHO's Africa office, the...

Sick Veteran Battles Bureaucracy Back Home By Lolita C. Baldor Associated Press Writer Published: Aug 12, 2003 WASHINGTON (AP) - After Army Sgt. Vannessa Turner survived a still-unknown illness doctors feared would kill her, she thought her toughest battle was over. But since a military flight brought Turner home she says she's had to fight to get medical treatment and can't even get personal items returned. The homefront, she's finding, can be as daunting as the front lines in Iraq. "It's easier to stay a soldier and be in harm's way than to come home and get care," said Turner,...