11 Nov 2010

Cholera toll reaches 640

7:12 pm on 11 November 2010

The number of people killed by the cholera epidemic in Haiti has risen to more than 640.

Aid agencies are working round the clock to try to slow the spread of the disease in the capital Port-au-Prince.

And tests have confirmed cholera is responsible for 16 deaths on a remote island in Papua New Guinea close to Australia's maritime border.

The first case of cholera on Daru Island in Western Province was detected three weeks ago. Twelve adults and four children have died, while 320 others have been treated for the intestinal infection.