Malaria kills 17 Yanomami Indians

Venezuela (AP):

A government health official said a team of specialists believe 17 Yanomami Indians have died in a malaria outbreak in the last three months, a toll considerably lower than initially reported by indigenous health workers. The team of health specialists visited three remote Yanomami villages in the Amazon rainforest and confirmed in interviews with villagers that 17 people, including children, died in apparent malaria cases in the last three months, Amazonas state regional health director Dr Miguel Hernandez said Tuesday night. Two indigenous health workers who visited the area said last week that village chiefs told them about 50 people had died recently.