Disease outbreak feared in Brazil flood

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The first cases of waterborne diseases are emerging in inundated areas of Brazil, where the flood death toll has reached 116, officials said.

Health officials have logged 10 suspected cases of leptospirosis, an infection common in flood zones and spread by contact with floating animal waste, CNN reported Tuesday.

Some 31 Brazilians in hard-hit Santa Catarina state have been reported missing.

Officials said most of the 116 deaths came as the result of mudslides, which have left 79,000 people homeless, CNN said.