The World - News from Sept. 15, 1988

Floodwaters in Bangladesh continued to recede slowly but the death toll kept climbing, and health officials called for international shipments of medicines and water purification tablets to stop a killer epidemic of diarrhea. Health Secretary Manzurul Karim said there have been 319,860 official cases of diarrhea and 168 diarrhea-related deaths since Aug. 27. “Bangladesh does not need foreign doctors but will welcome limited quantity of medicines,” Karim said at a news conference in Dhaka. What is believed to be the worst flooding in Bangladesh’s history has caused 899 deaths, according to the government, but Dhaka newspapers said drownings, snake bites, collapsed buildings and diarrhea have left a total of 1,804 dead.