CHOLERA — Cases of cholera have been reported in all of Zimbabwe’s provinces and in many other African nations. From Aug. 26, 2008, through March 16, 2009, 91,265 suspected cases and 4,030 deaths were reported in Zimbabwe. The disease is spread through untreated sewage and contaminated drinking water.

MENINGITIS — Since January 2009, health officials in India have reported 230 deaths and 2,000 possible cases of meningitis in the northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram...

An oil spill struck at least 40 miles of beaches on the coast of Queensland, Australia, and nearby Moreton and Bribie islands. In rough seas during Cyclone Hamish on March 11, thirty-one containers of ammonium nitrate fertilizer fell off a cargo ship, subsequently puncturing two of the ship’s tanks and releasing 250 tons of heavy fuel oil.

Worst hit was Moreton Island, a national park 25 miles off the Sunshine Coast, but authorities hoped to reopen the western and northern sections to...

Whipped by winds and aided by high temperatures and a long drought, ferocious bushfires ravaged more than 1,200 square miles of Victoria state in southeast Australia in early February. More than 210 people died, 900 homes were destroyed and over 7,000 people ended up in shelters. Two towns, Kinglake and Marysville, were severely damaged.

Police investigating the fires have cited natural causes but also suspect arson, having arrested at least one suspect. At press time, fires were...