Death toll keeps rising

GlobalPost
The World

Rescue workers continue to search for the dead more than a week after landslides leveled entire neighborhoods in the mountains north of Rio de Janeiro. The official death toll reached 809 this morning with another 469 people listed as missing. Brazilians responded to the tragedy by donating food, clothes and other goods for those in need. The Red Cross delivered 200 tons of donations in one week, a national record. Meanwhile authorities worry about disease outbreaks. Two residents have been diagnosed with leptospirosis, a bacterial infection transmitted though contact with contaminated soil or water. Because it can take up to 3 weeks to show symptoms, health officials are bracing for more.

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