Diarrhea Kills Nearly 200 in Ethiopia

Severe diarrhea has killed nearly 200 people in Ethiopia and another 19,000 have fallen ill since April, according to the United Nations.

"It's not out of control, but it is spreading," Paul Hebert, head of the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ethiopia, said Tuesday.

Hebert said recent floods could make the situation worse because citizens may be drinking and bathing in stagnant and contaminated rain water.

Health Ministry spokesman Ahmed Emano said government officials were meeting weekly to try to find a solution.

Flash floods last month in southern, eastern and northeastern Ethiopia killed more than 600 people and displaced tens of thousands.